Holy War
by Griff4823
Summary: The sequel to "A Dragon in Shining Armour". Several months later, thanks to the efforts of the Royal Knights, peace sets over the continent once again. However, tensions, conflict, and enemies soon arise once again, and it's up to the Order of the Royal Knights to intervene. Can they stop these conflicts from spiralling out of control, all while dealing with their own issues?
1. Prologue: Black Pincer Company

Author's Notes: Here it is. The sequel to A Dragon in Shining Armour, "Holy War". While you don't necessarily need to read A Dragon in Shining Armour to enjoy this, it would be really cool if you did. Check out my profile to access it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I do own these characters and this universe.

Rated T/ PG-15 for violence, mature themes, swearing, and more mature themes. Oh, and sexual situations and innuendo.)

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><p><span><strong>Holy War<strong>

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**Prologue: Black Pincer Company**

Flames.

The long, tumultuous arms of fire rose up, whirling and thrashing as they grew. They danced and flickered erratically. Violently. Fire was indiscriminate about what it burned or which way it spread.

The walls gleamed with an intense orange colour and the pungent, stifling aroma of smoke filled the dank, musty air. Embers and glowing cinders blew in the breeze and flew deeper into the darkness. The wood snapped and crackled, and the windy roar of the blaze echoed.

The tempestuous flames reflected in a single red eye, which stared into the fire with a silent intensity.

The eye blinked and slowly gazed away, peering into the darkness.

It belonged to one of three figures. The trio were Digimon, all of whom sat around a small campfire inside of a cave. They stayed near the mouth of the cavern, so that they could still see outside into the starry night. If it weren't for the campfire, the cave would be completely dark.

The Digimon who was the owner of the single eye blended right into the darkness. He had the body of a humanoid insect Digimon, and that body was covered by a hard, black carapace that shimmered in the orange light. Over this thick, protective exoskeleton was ebony armour that was just as dark. It covered the upper part of his chest, his shoulders, his forearms, and his shins. Below the long, black greaves covering his legs were his feet, from which three, long, sharp claws extended from each foot. The vambraces he wore over his forearms doubled as deadly weapons from which claws could extend and retract. They were known as Gran Killers, and their claws were almost as long as the insect Digimon's arm.

His bug-like features were obvious. He had an insectoid head that was long and pointed, and he had a red, compound eye that gleamed against the flames. He also had a fearsome, serrated mouth, and long, scissor-like mandibles extending from his cheeks. They looked like they could snap a Digimon in half in a single chop. Additionally, he had four, long, irregular wings protruding from his back. They were formed in an 'X'-shape and seemed to have a bright, orange glow around their edges, which was less intense when he wasn't flying. However, he had humanoid features aside from his body shape. Resting on his semi-crossed legs were his black hands, which had four fingers and a thumb. He also had long, thick, orange-red hair coming out of the back of his head. As the wind blew smoke and cinders towards him from the mouth of the cave, the hair swayed gently in the breeze. Finally, decorating the armour and pincers were jagged, grey stripes, which added to his dark, intimidating appearance.

The GrandisKuwagamon closed his eye and bowed his head. He appeared to be meditating.

Sitting next to him was a Digimon of similar stature, although maybe a bit bulkier. Although he had an insect-theme as well, he was much more humanoid in nature. His upper body was covered with dark bluish-purple armour that covered his chest from his abdomen to his neck. On the front was a yellow plate that matched the yellow trimming of his body armour as well as the thick armour over his forearms. This Digimon had a brawny form, evidenced by the thick, spiked, metal shoulder pads flanking his head. His legs were also covered, by greaves and boots. He also had plates covering his knees and quadriceps, which had the symbol of Thunder on them. Underneath all this armour was a dirty, orange jumpsuit that he wore from his neck to ankle. It was held up by belts and metal cuffs, and it served to cover his skin.

Like GrandisKuwagamon, he had wings coming out of his back. The thin, insect wings were covered by large, blue plates, which protruded from the back of his body armour, which also had AncientBeetlemon's sigil of Thunder on his back. His humanoid head was protected by a blue helmet. Extending from his forehead was a long, hooked, azure horn.

The Blitzmon lay on his back with his hands behind his head, his calculating emerald eyes staring up at the dark roof of the cave.

The final Digimon sat on the opposite side of the fire from them, nearer to the cavern's entrance. He had a similar appearance to Blitzmon thematically, but there were many differences. For one, he was much bigger. At a standing height, GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon only came up to just under his shoulders, excluding Blitzmon's horn. This Digimon was much more mechanical and insect-like. While he had the same dark bluish-violet and yellow colour scheme as Blitzmon, his lower body consisted of armoured tank treads, valves, and pipes for pressurized gases. With those, he could roll or hover across the ground seamlessly. He also wore armour over his bulky upper body. He had broad shoulders that were covered by black pauldrons. Extending from these were long arms that had electrical cannons over the ends of them, resembling Gatling guns. On the end of his cannons, between the barrels, were plus signs, emphasizing his electrical nature. Right below these arms were a pair of smaller arms, which ended with claws. They drummed against the armour covering his treads agitatedly.

Under that heavy armour, he also wore an orange jumpsuit that covered his upper body and both pairs of arms. He had a thick, sturdy head that was covered with metal. Like Blitzmon, he had a long horn protruding from his head, but his was much thicker and more resilient. Instead of a simple horn, it was actually a heavy cannon that was linked to a targeting system inside his body. When targeting, a screen could emerge from his back and aid him in aiming his turret.

The Bolgmon had wide, green eyes and shrunken pupils. There was a wild, slightly unhinged look in his eyes that was only made worse when he let electricity spark between his two arm cannons. With a broad grin behind his metal mask, Bolgmon watched the strands of electricity shoot back and forth, lighting up his features further.

He then looked up, his psychotic smirk disappearing. "…So!" he spoke, addressing his two companions. "How long until we can get out of this shit hole?"

GrandisKuwagamon opened his eye and looked across the fire at him. "What's the hurry, Bolg?" he asked him with a grin. "Still claustrophobic?"

"Screw off," Bolgmon retorted with a glare. "D'you like sleeping in the dirt, Grandis? I thought we were done with that crap years ago!"

"Can't be helped," Blitzmon spoke up, sitting up again and looking over at the cyborg Digimon. "After that battle at the World Tree eight months ago, the Royal Knights have really been cracking down on mercenary teams because of all the mercs involved in the battle."

"Tch," GrandisKuwagamon scoffed. "They could have at least taken that damn tree down…" he muttered.

"…Of course, they only go after the more unscrupulous teams and companies like ours," Blitzmon continued. "The moral, do-gooder 'mercenary' groups get a free pass."

"Kowloon's got hundreds of members but those knights still want to take us down?" Bolgmon asked. "Our company's only got three members; the three of us!"

"Maybe, but you saw the wanted posters yourself, remember?" GrandisKuwagamon reminded him. "We're small but effective. Not to mention the messes we left behind on a few jobs. I'm not surprised we showed up in their sights."

Blitzmon nodded. "We should think about moving that fire deeper into the cave. If any scouts pass by, they'll be able to see it."

Bolgmon glanced into the dark of the cave and then over his shoulder to the outside. "You guys go ahead. No frigging way I'm going in there."

"See? Wimp," GrandisKuwagamon said with a smirk.

"Fuck you," Bolgmon answered. "We should just chance it and go to an inn in a town. If anybody recognizes us, we can fight our way out."

"And draw even more attention to ourselves," GrandisKuwagamon sarcastically spoke. "Great idea." He stood to his feet and folded his arms across his chest. "No, we should lay low for another few days and then do the job."

"I agree," Blitzmon said.

Bolgmon rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm still not going in there."

"Fine, just don't get seen," GrandisKuwagamon told him dismissively.

"I don't have bolts for brains," Bolgmon retorted.

"No; if anything, I'd say you've got a few screws loose," GrandisKuwagamon said to him. He walked over to the fire and kicked at a branch, causing cinders and smoke to billow into the air. "So don't blast anybody either."

Bolgmon let out a laugh. "That's up to them!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I know you like target practice, but you won't be laughin' when all twelve Royal Knights come crashing down on your big, metal ass," GrandisKuwagamon reminded him. "Worse, I don't want to get cornered in a cave because you're blast-happy."

"Cripes. Relax. I was only kidding," Bolgmon responded with a roll of his eyes.

"Tell me that when you have a hapless flying Digimon in your sights, begging you to shoot him," GrandisKuwagamon countered with a smirk. "You can't resist."

The insect-like tank Digimon rolled over the ground towards them a few feet. "Like you're the bastion of self control, Grandis," he sarcastically said.

"Epitome of self control," Blitzmon corrected.

"Whatever. The point stands," the larger Digimon said. He frowned and looked out of the mouth of the cave. "Why don't we just leave? We can prob'ly reach Facture by morning if we travel all night."

"Bolgmon has a point, GrandisKuwagamon," Blitzmon decided, looking over at the black beetle man Digimon. "It'd be safer travelling at night than during the day, too."

"And here I was looking forwards to sleeping," GrandisKuwagamon sardonically replied, adjusting the Gran Killers on his wrists.

"We can crash out at an inn there when we arrive and then do the job at night," Blitzmon suggested.

"Tch. Fine. You convinced me, Blitz," the ebony insect conceded. "Anything to keep Bolgie from bitching about confined spaces."

Bolgmon growled a bit. He rolled his treads over the fire, snuffing it out in a flood of smoke and ash. "Good. Let's go."

"Hit a nerve apparently," GrandisKuwagamon mused, smirking and heading out of the cave. "D'you even have those?"

"Why don't you hit the one in my elbow and see if I accidentally shoot you?" Bolgmon challenged.

"Hey, now. Save that aggression for our job," GrandisKuwagamon told him with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Our client said that there'd definitely be guards protecting the target. They're disposable."

Bolgmon smiled darkly. "Can't wait…"

"Just try not to level the block," Blitzmon added. "Security is extremely tight there, and the D-Brigade is tremendously disciplined, even if those tin cans are neutral."

GrandisKuwagamon nodded and walked out into the shadows of the cliff they stood under. He looked up and saw the mountain towering over them. "Slip in, eliminate the guards, grab the prints, slip out, get paid enough money to last us until next summer. Sound good?"

"Very," Blitzmon responded, smirking and cracking his knuckles as electricity sparked between his hands.

"Oh, yeah. Let's kick some ass," Bolgmon agreed with a psychotic grin.

GrandisKuwagamon turned his back to them and walked out into the grass. Shadows passed over his blood red eye. "Okay, Black Pincer Company. Let's move out…"


	2. Chapter 1: The Party

(Author's Note: Here it is! The first chapter. Thanks to all who replied to the prologue.)

**Chapter 1: The Party**

The metal door of a tavern opened.

The inn was quiet. Only a few Digimon sat at the tables and at the bar counter. They were all machine Digimon.

The floors and walls were made of a smooth, dark grey metal and the public area was illuminated by lanterns. Standing behind the bar was a broad-bodied, metal barkeep. His thick body was covered with a copper-like metal, and he had several pipes, vents, and valves on him. When the door opened, the Guardromon looked over.

The first Digimon that he saw emerge from the door was GrandisKuwagamon, who casually strode up to the bar. Directly behind him were Blitzmon and Bolgmon, who followed him until he reached the bar. They stood at the counter and looked at the Guardromon bartender.

"Two organics, one synthetic," GrandisKuwagamon told him, leaning forwards and resting his arms on the counter. "Can you serve us?"

"Affirmative," the Guardromon responded. "While we don't exactly get many outsiders here, we have plenty of organic Digimon around, especially in the D-Brigade." He prepared some metal glasses. "What would you like?"

"A pint of WarGreymon's Finest," GrandisKuwagamon told him.

"I'm afraid we aren't the Royal Knights; we don't carry that brand of fine ale here," the Guardomon barkeep responded.

GrandisKuwagamon rolled his eye. "Whatever. I'm guessing you don't have any mead either… Okay. I'm no snob. Just give me whatever beer you have as long as it's stronger than tap water."

"Very well. A pint of rust lager," the Guardromon said, stepping over to the beer tap and pulling the insect Digimon a pint.

"I'll have that too," Blitzmon spoke up.

Bolgmon leaned his arms on the bar counter as GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon sat down on a couple of stools. "Gimme a double shot of requiem oil."

"Of course," the bartender said, placing a frothing glass of beer in front of GrandisKuwagamon.

GrandisKuwagamon took the glass in his hand and brought it up to his insect-like mouth to drink it. He knocked back a large mouthful and swallowed it with a sigh. "…By the way, can we have a room or two for a day?"

"We have several vacancies, so yes," the Guardromon replied, getting the other two drinks. "What brings you three to Facture? Not many foreign Digimon receive the clearance to enter the city… Are you guests at the party tonight?"

"Party?" GrandisKuwagamon asked. "Nah… We're here on business. We're travelling merchants, so we go from place to place, selling our services…"

"Yeah. We'll make some serious shockwaves in the industry around here before we're done," Bolgmon spoke up, ending with a fierce cackle.

"_Subtle,_" Blitzmon thought to himself, giving Bolgmon a look before looking back at the Guardromon. "Our products have caught the attention of the Metal Empire. We're confident that they want to buy the license and adapt them for themselves."

"Ah. Well, the very best of luck to you in your endeavours," the Guardomon told them. He gave Blitzmon a glass of beer like GrandisKuwagamon's, and then slid a large shot glass filled with a black liquid with tinges of purple and green to Bolgmon. "Thank you for your patronage. Please excuse me while I fetch the room keys from the back."

"Sure," GrandisKuwagamon replied dismissively as the Guardromon stepped into a back room. When he was gone, GrandisKuwagamon glanced around the inn before turning to his two comrades. "Nobody said anything about a party tonight."

"It's fine," Bolgmon assured him, eyeing his potent, alcohol-infused-oil drink. "The target building is a ways away from the crowded parts of the city."

"They'll still probably step up their security," GrandisKuwagamon countered.

"Or they'll divert the security to the party instead," Blitzmon suggested in a low tone. "Either way, we should still go ahead with the plan tonight. We can't afford to stay here long; they have security to the point of paranoia around here. It won't be long until someone realizes we don't have clearance."

"Fine by me," GrandisKuwagamon answered. "After these drinks, let's go to our rooms and crash out until then. I'm beat."

Blitzmon nodded. "We'll need a good rest for what's to come."

Bolgmon smirked. "They won't know what hit them…"

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><p>The grey sky turned dark as night overtook a sweeping city.<p>

The city was grey and metallic throughout – the buildings mainly used steel and other types of metals for their construction materials - and it showed. A wide river (called the Rust River) ran along the west edge of the city before curving and draining into the ocean on the western side of the continent. The whole city was dark, uniform, and industrial. It looked like it had been very meticulously planned and developed with utmost organization. It was designed in a way that favoured efficiency as well.

There were very wide roads filled with street lamps that were fueled by oil in some areas of the city and electricity in other areas. All of the roads and walkways were made of smooth, flat steel, so metal surfaces coated the city. Every so often, some pipes leading from the ground and buildings would expel bursts of steam.

Along the river were a few guarded bridges leading across the river to the other side of the city. Also on the river, were large, metallic, electricity-producing water wheels that were protected by tall, electrified fences and guard towers with spotlights. These fences were actually quite common, as there were several around the foremost manufactories, workshops, and research facilities of the city.

This city was Facture. The capital of the Metal Empire. The Metal Empire was a territory of a robotic and cyborg Digimon who remained neutral and distanced from world affairs. Instead of looking outwards, they looked inwards at their own society, building it up and advancing their technology. Their technology was superior to anybody else in the Digital World, and their economy was flourishing. All of the industries were owned by the state, which Emperor Chaosdramon was the head of. However, society was extremely rigid and controlled. Trade was monopolized by the government. There was always a fear of espionage - that outsiders would get their hands on the Metal Empire's technology and copy it, so security was enforced stringently. Also, since the government was so wide-reaching in the society, those that worked for it had much more money than the average Digimon of the Metal Empire.

On the outskirts of the city was a massive military base belonging to the D-Brigade. The D-Brigade was the Metal Empire's highly disciplined, elite army which doubled as a police force and a counter-espionage force. They maintained the security and the neutrality of the Metal Empire. The D-Brigade was incredibly efficient and well-trained, and they had some of the most high tech weaponry around.

In Facture's center, along the edge of the river, was a huge palace. Both the inside and yard were illuminated, and the building was large enough to comfortably fit Emperor Chaosdramon. Due to his sheer weight, however, the building could only sustain one level. Spotlights surrounded the gated palace gardens, from which fireworks were launched into the sky in a show of pomp.

Chaosdramon was hosting a grand party of notable guests from all over the continent. There were monarchs, leaders, aristocrats, councillors, key political players, and other prominent or powerful Digimon.

Among these guests were the Royal Knights.

Parties like this were rarely as simple as a friendly get-together. They were marketplaces for high level diplomacy. Digimon would come and talk about world affairs and to ensure their place in the Digital World. Friendships were made, alliances were formed, information was shared, rumours traded… The Royal Knights, being prominent participants, had to attend. It was their duty to, as defenders as the Digital World. It was also in their best interests. Despite the fact that the Order was largely self-sufficient, it never hurt to have allies or to be in the know of continental and world affairs. They also still had to maintain their prestige, after it had been brought into question by DarkKnightmon's actions against the World Tree eight months ago.

"Alphamon. I am so glad that you made it," a growly, hollow, monotonous voice spoke.

Alphamon stood in an extravagant ballroom. Gold and silver coloured the walls and thick, beige and white marble tiled the floors. The spacious room was filled with Digimon of all shapes and sizes. The back of the room was gated, but the gates had been opened to allow access to the back garden. Elegant, classical music flowed through the palace, giving the pompous party a regal feeling.

The leader of the Royal Knights looked up at a huge Digimon. The Digimon was a giant, bipedal, cyborg dragon Digimon. He was plated in heavy, red digizoid armour which he wore over his grey scales, which were covered with glowing, crimson, graph-like lines. Over this armour, he was actually dressed in a giant, custom-made, black tuxedo. His left arm had a giant set of claws, and his right arm were claws in the form of a crushing vice. These clamp-like claws held, with remarkable delicacy, an oversized champagne flute that was filled with oil.

Alphamon, who was dressed in a black tuxedo with a white undershirt and a black tie, lightly held the glass of red wine in his hand and smiled up at Emperor Chaosdramon. "Thank you for having us, Chaosdramon," he politely answered. "It's not every day that we have the chance to relax like this."

Standing beside Alphamon was Omegamon. Alphamon's second in command wore a pristine, white tuxedo with light blue buttons and cufflinks, matching white pants, and a white bowtie. Omegamon, being the reserved, soft-spoken Digimon that he was, wasn't entirely comfortable at parties. He especially didn't want to be asked about what had happened with him during DarkKnightmon's Coup. He had stayed near Alphamon and followed him around since arriving; Alphamon was more outgoing and confident in these situations, so it put Omegamon at ease to be near him.

The white knight nursed a small glass of white wine and looked up at Chaosdramon to hear his response.

"I would think not," Chaosdramon breathed. "Unlike us, the Royal Knights are so active in worldly affairs. Coming to the rescue of those weaker than you with no personal gain… There are perks to being neutral, I suppose." When the giant machine Digimon noticed a lack of a response, he reiterated in his mechanical voice. "That was a joke."

Alphamon chuckled. "I suppose that's a valid point of view."

Emperor Chaosdramon nodded his metal, draconic head. "I suppose you all have been busy, following that business at the World Tree earlier this year."

At this, Omegamon looked off to the side quietly and brought this glass up to his face.

Alphamon glanced at Omegamon, noticing the movement, but looked back at Chaosdramon and answered. "Yes, we have been. However, things are more or less back to normal now. Isn't that right, Omegamon?" he asked, looking over at the white-clothed knight with a smile.

Omegamon tensed up slightly at being expected to speak. "Um, yes," he answered sheepishly, reflexively bringing his other hand up and fingering at this bowtie. "Things are running smoothly again."

"That is good to hear. Efficiency is the best policy," Chaosdramon told them. "Everything should run like a well-kept, well-oiled machine. That is what brings such prosperity to the Metal Empire."

"Surely the Digimon who live here have something to do with it," Alphamon suggested.

"Because they are disciplined," Chaosdramon contended. "The success of the Metal Empire lies in its order – the structure, discipline, and cooperation of Digimon at all levels. There is no room for chaotic elements seeking to undermine us here."

At this, Alphamon frowned. Chaosdramon's words reminded him of DarkKnightmon all too much. Order at all costs, is what Chaosdramon meant. The rhetoric sounded like it could easily come out of DarkKnightmon's mouth, said in such a way that made it sound like he had a point. It made Alphamon feel ill-at-ease.

The Royal Knights were suspicious of Chaosdramon and the Metal Empire. They were well aware of the dark side of this seemingly flourishing empire. There were rumours that Digimon who spoke out against Chaosdramon's regime were eliminated. This included political rivals who opposed him when he took power, dissenters, and even Digimon who seemed distrustful, so the rumours said.

There was an undercurrent of oppression and suspicion in the Metal Empire. As the most industrious and technologically advanced state in the Digital World, there was a constant worry that their technologies and blueprints would be stolen and copied. If that happened, it would cause other Digimon to compete with the Metal Empire, which would destroy the prosperity that they had and render their main exports worthless. This meant that, despite the fact that the Metal Empire was neutral in all conflicts, they would treat spies sent by other states as enemy combatants, capture them, and execute them in secret. Because of the fear of espionage, they wouldn't allow their Digimon to leave their territory. This was all done to ensure the Metal Empire's prosperity.

Very few of the average Digimon of the Metal Empire knew about this, and if they did, they kept very quiet about it for fear of reprisal. The only reason that the Royal Knights knew about this was through rumours from their scouts, spies, and from their head of the technical division, MetallifeKuwagamon. Being defenders of the Digital World, the Royal Knights always kept a close eye on the Metal Empire. However, the Metal Empire never acted aggressively and the Royal Knights never had any solid proof of these oppressive measures or disappearances, so they couldn't act in good conscience. There was also the fact that the Metal Empire had the D-Brigade, a very large and a very loyal army, so if the Royal Knights were to act against the Metal Empire's regime, it would likely mean a very violent war. With that said, the Royal Knights never entirely took their eyes off the Metal Empire and they weren't going to leave it alone just for those reasons. They bided their time and waited for other options and opportunities.

Meanwhile, they attended Chaosdramon's party, and both sides acted as though they were on good terms.

"I see… And what do you define as chaotic elements?" Alphamon asked him, though trying to be innocuous while doing so.

Chaosdramon looked down at Alphamon calmly and steadily. "Well-" He interrupted himself when he noticed something out of the corner of his dark, red eye.

Through a large, arched, opened window, flew a Digimon with a humanoid body. A mechanical cyborg Digimon covered in emerald-coloured metal flew in and descended towards Chaosdramon with both haste and grace. As he landed at the giant Digimon's side, Alphamon and Omegamon could see his lean, slender body touch down softly. His green, metal chest was angular, protrusive, and had layers that thinned as they went down to his torso. His collar and the two vents on his chest were lined with gold. The Digimon had long, metal bars for arms, which ended in large vents for some sort of semi-solid particle energy. In fact, they were reproductions of the Critical Arm belonging to the Justimon species. They were connected to the mecha Digimon by two big, round, metal shoulders that were lined with thin, curved blades, making his shoulders look like small turbines. He turned his slender, metal legs towards Chaosdramon and looked up with his uniquely shaped head. His head had a long, pointed V-shape. Coming from the back of his head was a lengthy, narrow, green ponytail that was even longer than Dukemon's. It swayed behind him as he turned and it possessed four decorative pairs of rose-coloured, spherical hair pins. Behind his head, part of the back of his breastplate was a tall, green, halo-like projection that gave him a majestic appearance. The back side of the green metal was toothed, and on each side was a different golden symbol, one reading "wind" and the opposite one reading "god".

"Commander Fujinmon?" Chaosdramon asked him, turning and leering down at him. "What is it?"

Fujinmon glanced at the two Royal Knights apprehensively. "It's a sensitive matter, Lord Chaosdramon…" he said to the giant, cyborg dinosaur.

"Very well, Commander…" Chaosdramon turned to Alphamon and Omegamon. "Apologies, but please excuse me… Duties never cease, even at my own party."

"I understand all too well," Alphamon assured him, nodding gently.

The two Royal Knights watched as Chaosdramon walked off with Fujinmon to discuss whatever he wanted to speak about. With every heavy footstep, the floor trembled slightly. It would have been worse, but the floor had been specifically built in a way that absorbed heavy impacts.

"That was strange," Omegamon spoke, looking over at Alphamon to see what he thought.

"Rather…" Alphamon agreed, eyeing the two as they disappeared through a giant set of double doors that lead further into the palace. He looked over at Omegamon. "Sorry if I put you on the spot earlier. It looked like you wanted to get off of the topic of DarkKnightmon."

"Don't worry about it…" Omegamon responded with a small smile. "And thanks for the thought."

"Are you still sensitive about it?" Alphamon questioned.

"Never mind that," Omegamon said, raising his glass of white wine. "We're supposed to forget our troubles at a party, aren't we?"

Alphamon relinquished a smile and raised his glass of red to gently clang it against Omegamon's. "Then consider it forgotten," he replied over the light ringing. He brought the glass up to his mouth and sipped from it.

"Excuse me, am I interrupting?" a deep, growly voice asked.

The two knights turned to see a large, middle-aged Imperialdramon Dragon Mode approaching them.

"Councillor Imperialdramon," Alphamon greeted. "Not at all."

"Good," the quadrupedal dragon said, stepping up to them and looking down. "How are you both enjoying the party?"

"It isn't bad," Alphamon spoke.

Omegamon nodded in agreement.

"How are things back in my home country?" Alphamon asked Imperialdramon, knowing that he was one of the Councillors of the Council of Seven that governed the Republic of Node from the capital city of New Terminal.

"Things are well in the Republic of Node, even if my tenure as Councillor will run out by the end of the year," Councillor Imperialdramon told them.

"I'll be sad to see you go," Alphamon told him.

Councillor Imperialdramon chuckled. "Will you?" he asked him. "It's no secret that the Council of Seven and the Royal Knights don't exactly get along…"

Alphamon smiled a bit at this. "That's true, but that's not your fault," he told him. "There are other elements within the council that don't appreciate us as much as you do…"

"Yes, well… I would appreciate you all more if you didn't accept my daughter into your ranks recently…" Councillor Imperialdramon spoke with a furrowed brow.

Alphamon thought for a moment. "Paildramon, correct?" he asked. "You know that we weren't the ones that picked the Republic's team of soldiers as a part of that goodwill effort towards us. You seven voted on it and the commanders of your military handpicked the troops from their own units to transfer to our military."

"Yes, I know," Councillor Imperialdramon said with a sigh. "I don't regret the decision; your Order needed the replacement troops after the Battle of the World Tree and I believed that it was a good diplomatic effort to mend relations between us. I just wish that my Paildramon didn't have to be one of the ones to leave."

"She'll be in good hands," Omegamon assured him, deciding to speak up.

Imperialdramon nodded, although still frowning. "I suppose it's the idea that she is in the military at all that bothers me. It was supposed to be my son, but he, well… isn't interested in the slightest," he muttered.

"You should have more faith in your daughter," Alphamon told him. "Paildramon is an extremely competent soldier, and she has a good, level head on her shoulders. I know she'll be a huge asset to us."

Imperialdramon grunted. "That is kind of you to say…" he murmured, glancing away. "…She won't thank me at all for saying this to you, but look after her."

Alphamon smiled. "We will, although she is more than capable of doing that for herself."

"Yes… Rather…" he mumbled. He gave Alphamon and Omegamon a short nod. "Pardon me. I'm going to refill my drink."

Alphamon nodded to the Councillor as he meandered away with heavy steps. When he walked off, Alphamon turned to Omegamon. "How do the others seem?"

"They generally seem to be enjoying themselves," Omegamon explained, looking around. "They're socializing with the other guests."

"No sign of Gankoomon?" Alphamon asked, gazing across the expansive room. "I was hoping he'd change his mind and come in."

"You know how stubborn he can be," Omegamon responded. "Then again, he does have a point. You can't really see him attending one of these elegant, grandiose parties, can you?"

"Maybe not, but this sort of thing comes with being a Royal Knight. He's going to have to get used to it," Alphamon explained. "Dynasmon was the same way a long time ago, but he doesn't complain about it anymore."

* * *

><p>"Man, I hate coming to these things…" Dynasmon muttered. He looked down at the large, black tuxedo over his muscular body. Under it was a white dress shirt and a pale violet neck tie, and his wings sprouted from the back of the suit. "I look like a total fop."<p>

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," RhodoKnightmon protested. On his lean body, he wore a pink, gold-trimmed tailcoat that had a red rose in his jacket pocket. Along with this was a white cravat around his neck, long, goldish-beige pants over his legs, and tall, black boots. "You look very sharp and sexy in a suit."

"Well of course _you'd_ say that…" Dynasmon responded dismissively, gesturing to RhodoKnightmon's extravagant attire.

"Of course! My fashion sense is impeccable, as you well know," Rhodo replied.

"It's all of your other senses that're the problem," Craniamon added from beside them. Like them, he wore a full suit as well, though it was dark purple in colour. He also had a dark blue scarf that he wore snugly around his neck. In Craniamon's hand was a glass of semi-sweet, blue wine that came from the north part of the continent.

"Oh, hush, you," said RhodoKnightmon with a quick look.

Dynasmon rolled his eyes. "There isn't even any beer here. I hate wine…" he murmured.

"Really. It sounds like you _love_ to whine," Craniamon teased. Dynasmon gave him a strong elbow that nearly made Craniamon spill his wine.

"You could always go outside and keep Gankoomon company," RhodoKnightmon proposed.

Dynasmon gave it some thought. "Yeeeeah, maybe…" He trailed off when something caught his eye. He looked up and saw the beautiful, feminine body of a Rosemon striding towards them in a red evening dress. When he looked up at her face, she smiled at him. "Maybe I'll stay here…" he finished with a broad, dopey grin on his face.

The other two knights rolled their eyes.

"Good evening, Sir Dynasmon," she greeted him first. "Sir Craniamon, Sir RhodoKnightmon."

"Councillor," Craniamon said with a nod.

"Good evening, milady Councillor," Dynasmon responded with a wink. "But we don't need to be so formal, do we?"

"No? I suppose we don't…" Rosemon told him with an enticing smile.

"You look very pretty this evening, if you don't mind me saying so," Dynasmon said to her, his smile broadening.

"Why, thank you. And you look quite dashing in that tuxedo," the Councillor answered, admiring him.

"Thank you, my lady."

She smiled and offered her arm. "Would you care to take a walk with me? I would love to hear of some of your gallant adventures."

"But of course," Dynasmon said, his voice decidedly more formal than it was before. He gently locked arms with her and began to walk with her, away from the other two Royal Knights. "And what would you like to hear about first?"

"Hmm…" Rosemon mused, stepping in tandem with Dynasmon. "Perhaps we should go somewhere more private first?"

Dynasmon raised his eyebrow and smiled wider. "Like where, Councillor?"

"A guest bedroom, perhaps?" she offered, smiling at him. "Then you can tell me all about it… and more."

The dragon man smirked and his cheeks went a bit red at the idea. "That sounds good to me…" he responded.

"Come. This way," she told him, pulling his arm and leading him through a large set of doors, further into the palace.

RhodoKnightmon and Craniamon watched as they disappeared from sight.

"…What a forward woman," RhodoKnightmon uttered with an indignant huff.

"No more forward than you," Craniamon told him with a small grin. "You're just jealous. He liked her rose more than yours."

"Ugh! Don't be ridiculous, Craniamon," the pink Royal Knight replied dismissively.

"She's from the Council of Seven, right?" Craniamon asked him. "From the Republic of Node?"

"I believe so," RhodoKnightmon answered. "At any rate, help me with my search."

"Your search?" Craniamon asked, idly swirling the blue wine around in his glass. He had been tuning him out before. "For what, again?"

"A boyfriend for Alphamon," RhodoKnightmon responded, looking around the party for Digimon. "I've located a few possible suitors for him."

"OuRyuumon's gonna _love_ this," Craniamon muttered sarcastically.

RhodoKnightmon readjusted the rose in his pocket before placing his hands on his hips. "Councillor DORUGoramon."

"He and Alphamon can't stand each other."

"KaiserGreymon, AncientGarurumon, Anubismon," RhodoKnightmon suggested.

"The Warrior Ten didn't even come to the party."

"Gaiomon, Goddramon, Butenmon."

"You know… he still likes girls as well as guys," Craniamon reminded him, beginning to think that RhodoKnightmon was conveniently forgetting that part for his own preferences.

RhodoKnightmon pretended not to hear him. "Seraphimon, Omegamon, Jupitermon…"

Craniamon palmed his face and shook his head. "There are things wrong with each of those," he retorted. "I don't think you have a good grasp of this matchmaking thing, Rhodo. You're just listing attractive male Digimon…" Craniamon sighed and raised his glass to drink from it. "Don't you need to bring personality and chemistry into it?"

"That is precisely what I am doing!" RhodoKnightmon countered. "He has chemistry with most of those Digimon."

"Uh huh… I think you're reading too much into it," Craniamon said with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, if Alphamon wants a relationship again, then he can make that decision himself."

"Do you honestly think he would pursue his romantic interests after all of the baggage of the last year?" RhodoKnightmon asked. "He needs a helping push!"

"Why don't you focus on getting yourself a boyfriend instead?" the violet-suited Royal Knight suggested dryly.

"I think not. Where is the fun in that? It is far too much effort," RhodoKnightmon said with a dismissive wave of his hand. However, he turned to Craniamon with a twinkle in his mask. "Unless, of course, you are offering…"

Craniamon immediately took a step back. "No."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Examon, Dukemon, and Sleipmon all stood together over near one of the large windows.<p>

Dukemon wore a standard black tuxedo, white undershirt, and red tie over his form. However, Examon and Sleipmon, due to their unique bodies, went a different route. Sleipmon wore a white suit, shirt, and pale purple bowtie over the humanoid part of his body, and black, specially tailored pants for his six-legged, equine lower body. Examon simply wore his regular - albeit polished - armour and a black bowtie around his neck. This was partly because he preferred it this way, but mostly because it was impossible to even custom tailor a suit that would accommodate his giant Caledfwlch wings, his arm wings, and his shoulder spikes. However, he did agree to wear a pair of black dress pants which had a hole for his long tail to jut out of.

"I don't see why we have to come here at all," Dukemon said with a frown. "It doesn't feel right, putting on fake smiles and acting friendly with an autocrat like Chaosdramon."

"I know what you mean," Sleipmon conceded, rubbing the back of his head, his fingers sifting through his violet hair. "But I think this is one of those things that we have to grin and bear. It's for the sake of diplomacy, isn't it?"

"I know, but still. I feel like a total hypocrite," Dukemon responded with a sharp exhale. "If anything, we should be taking this guy down for the way he treats the Digimon who live here."

"We don't actually have any proof of that…" Examon said to him. He held a glass of red wine in his hand but it didn't look like he had taken a single sip of it. "Even if the sources are reliable."

"Yeah, yeah…" Dukemon said, placing his empty wine glass down on the nearby table before folding his arms.

"Anyways, we probably shouldn't talk about that here," Sleipmon advised, looking around carefully. "You have to be careful about what you say at parties. You never know who's listening."

"That's another thing I don't like," the crimson knight spoke curtly.

Examon smiled at him. "It's just a few more hours, Dukemon."

"Don't think of it as being here for Chaosdramon," Sleipmon advised. "We're getting things out of being here too."

"I guess…" Dukemon muttered. He looked around to see if there were any Digimon he recognized nearby.

Examon glanced about too. "I don't see any of the Warrior Ten here," he pointed out.

"That's because KaiserGreymon made it very clear that he doesn't like Chaosdramon," Dukemon informed him. "He publically called Chaosdramon out on being a tyrannical slave-driver. …His words, but I cleaned them up for Sleipmon's delicate ears." The humanoid knight cast a smile to the horse Digimon.

"Very kind of you," Sleipmon told him, though smiling a bit. "So are they banned or boycotting it?"

"Depends who you ask," Dukemon responded with a shrug. "Maybe both."

"I doubt we'd find anything out of place if we looked around," Examon mused.

"Definitely not. Emperor Chaosdramon's smart. He probably spent the last week making sure that everything's clean and tidy for this party," Dukemon explained.

Sleipmon glanced past him and over to the back door that lead to the yard. There was a big, red, sturdy Digimon standing guard at the door. He had brawny, metallic body covered with crimson metal that was lined with gold. The indoor light reflected cleanly off the thick metal. Like Sleipmon, his upper body was semi-humanoid (if that) and his lower body was more bestial in nature. He had four, sturdy legs and a long, flexible tail. His upper body was more mechanical, with two, massive arms that were modelled off of the Justimon species' Accel Arm. They lead to two thick shoulders with large cannons sticking out of them. Just above them were two more giant cannons that had a likeness to those of a Mugendramon. His body and his head were one and the same, and he had two, large red eyes that stared at Sleipmon from the openings in his armour.

"I think we're attracting attention," Sleipmon mumbled at Dukemon and Examon sheepishly.

Dukemon looked over at the large Digimon and waved amiably. "That Suijinmon guy? I think I'll go introduce myself." He walked past the two and began to make his way over to the guard.

Examon and Sleipmon exchanged worried glances. "Dukemon, wait a second…" Sleipmon cautioned.

"It's good to be sociable at parties!" Dukemon dismissively responded over his shoulder.

Examon frowned. "Sure, but…"

Ignoring their heed, Dukemon strode up to the daunting, bulky Digimon.

"Hey. Don't they call you the Waterfall Commander?"

Suijinmon's red eyes slowly turned and set upon Dukemon with a calm, intimidating gaze. "Yes."

Dukemon smiled and extended his hand. "I've heard a lot of stories about you. You're quite the tactical genius, aren't you? You got promoted to Commander immediately after your victory in the Pirate Wars." After a few seconds, he glanced down at his unshaken hand and then back up at Suijinmon.

"…Pardon me. I'm on guard duty for Lord Chaosdramon," Suijinmon rumbled stoically.

Dukemon grinned and stepped forwards. "Oh, come on, Commander. It's a party! You should loosen up a little. What do you drink? Requiem oil? Oil-wine infusion?" he asked, reaching out and placing his hand on Suijinmon's lower shoulder cannon, once again breaching the limits of generally accepted personal space, as Dukemon often did. "I'll even get it for you."

At this action, Suijinmon suddenly tensed up. His eyes slowly turned to look at Dukemon's hand. "Please remove your hand; I don't like to be touched," he said, his calm voice containing a subtle tightness of strain and warning.

Dukemon smiled innocently, unaware that his close proximity was making Suijinmon uncomfortable. "What? Why?"

"I just… do not…" Suijinmon told him, his calm voice brimming with an emotion.

"Come on, I'm not-"

Suijinmon became visible agitated. "Remove your hand now! I don't like to be touched!" he suddenly shouted.

The crimson knight raised his hands diplomatically and backed off a step. "Sorry, sorry…" he responded, a bead of sweat running down his head.

"What did you do now, Dukemon?" Sleipmon asked, walking over with Examon.

"Nothing!" Dukemon protested sheepishly. "I was just being friendly…"

"Pardon my friend," a voice said.

Walking in from outside, through the door that Suijinmon was standing beside, was a humanoid cyborg Digimon. He was clad in bright gold armour from head to toe. He had massive, silver, mechanical hands that were based off of Justimons' Blitz Arms. In one of his hands was a glass of bluish purple wine which indicated, unlike Suijinmon and Fujinmon, he was off duty. He had a bulky upper body with broad shoulders that gave him an intimidating appearance, although less so when standing beside the larger Suijinmon. Over his shoulders were four, large barrels hooked together in a half ring above his head. They seemed to exist for the purpose of generating electricity. On the faces of the two lower barrels were a minus and plus sign, respectively. On the two barrels above them were two symbols, one reading "thunder" and the other reading "god". He had a yellow helmeted head that was surrounded by the collar of his armour. Below the bladed crest on his helmet was a pair of yellow eyes that had an intense but affable look to them. Trailing behind him was his tail which consisted of several, thick, intertwined, yellow wires and ended in an electrical plug. He had red dots and double comma-shaped futatsudomoe symbols on various parts of his armour.

The Raijinmon placed his hand on Suijinmon's back, which didn't elicit the same negative reaction from the red machine Digimon. "He doesn't mean to be rude, but he doesn't like people who he doesn't trust touching him," the yellow cyborg explained.

"Hmph," Suijinmon huffed, apparently calm again, although still indignant.

"Oh, sorry… Didn't mean any offence," Dukemon explained, smiling awkwardly and rubbing the back of his head. "You're Raijinmon, aren't you? The Thunderclap Commander?" he asked, extending his hand towards him.

Raijinmon took his hand and shook it with an amicable smile. "That's correct. It's nice to formally meet you, Dukemon. You're looking well."

"Thank you," Dukemon responded, returning the firm shake. "I'll take any compliment from the leader of the D-Brigade's three Storm Commanders." He then managed a smile. "How is it that you're off duty but Suijinmon and Fujinmon aren't?"

"Luck of the draw," Raijinmon responded.

"Lord Chaosdramon prefers you the most of the three of us," Suijinmon pointed out, looking at his gold comrade.

"Moving on, how are you three enjoying the party?" Raijinmon asked the Royal Knights, brushing off Suijinmon's comment.

"Quite a bit, thanks," Sleipmon replied, offering a smile.

"It's an honour to have such prestigious Digimon attending," Raijinmon went on. "I would love to be as renowned as all of you, one day."

"It's not all autographs and fan mail, you know," Dukemon responded, grinning. "Some fans write these weird stories about us."

"I think some of them are charming," Sleipmon suggested with a chuckle.

"Duftmon says they're uninspired, amateurish, self-indulgent drivel," Examon spoke, thinking to himself about the last time the topic had come up.

"That's just because one of the stories Ulforce showed him involved Duftmon falling in love with Alphamon," Dukemon said with a hearty laugh.

Raijinmon folded his arms and frowned. "That may have been my story…" he informed them with some annoyance in his tone. "I had a copy mailed to the Order for fact-checking and constructive criticism but I never received a reply…"

Dukemon slowly turned back to face Raijinmon, smiling sheepishly as another bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. "R…Really…"

Sleipmon mumbled to Examon. "Dukemon's doing great tonight," he sarcastically said.

"Maybe we should rescue him," Examon agreed.

Dukemon chuckled awkwardly and scratched his cheek with a finger. "Oh, that one! I loved that one! You really – er – captured Duftmon's essence well!" he exclaimed trying his best to backpedal out of the hole that he dug for himself.

Raijimon leered at Dukemon blandly. "I made it as factually accurate as I could. Was I wrong to include the sexual tension with Alphamon that I noticed in Duftmon's published memoires and journals?"

"_Apart from the fact that he doesn't have a romantic bone in his body?_" Dukemon thought to himself. "Not at all!"

* * *

><p>The night continued to loom over the city of Facture. The grey clouds sprawled across the sky, blocking moonlight and threatening rain in the near future.<p>

On the side of the river that was opposite to Emperor Chaosdramon's estate was one of the several manufactories. It was somewhat separated from the urban part of the district because it had to be fenced off and allow a good line of sight. About a kilometer away, near the edge of the city, was the giant base of the D-Brigade.

This manufactory was surrounded by an electrified fence and several metal watch towers possessing spotlights that covered 360 degree radiuses. In one of the corner towers, which was somewhat close to the riverbank, was an Andromon on guard duty. He was a cyborg Digimon possessing a humanoid form. He had metal over his slender, partially robotic body. Beside him was a large, thick spotlight that slowly turned via a gyrating gear system that was present at the base of the light. The perpetual movement of the gears created an incessant click-clacking sound as they made the light pivot from one side of the tower to the other. The light scanned the ground and the bank of the river.

The Andromon stood beside the spotlight and adjusted it every so often. He also kept a look out, himself, although he wasn't at his most alert. 98% of guard duties were boring and uneventful. He doubted this would be any different.

He simply gazed across the serene river to the lights coming from Chaosdramon's palace, which he admired from afar with a bit of envy. The cyborg Digimon glanced up at the sky. "Wonder if it will rain…" he mumbled to himself. He started to analyze the clouds with his optical sensors. "I suspect there's a 40% chance…"

The Andromon's attention was pulled away when he noticed a flash of light out of the corner of his eyes. The spotlight beside him burst with sparks and flickered several times before going dead. The guard backed away with surprise before sneering. The area around the tower was suddenly dark.

"Damn thing…" he muttered, bending over and starting to tinker with the dead light. "It must have blown a circuit or the bulb… I had better not get blamed for this."

As the Andromon fiddled with light, he was unaware of the shadow that slipped in behind him.

With frustration, he kicked the spotlight and stood up straight again. "Forget it; I'll go ask for a replacement…"

It was in that moment that his optical sensor began to sense something looming behind him.

Before he could react, a black hand reached out from behind him and went in front of his face, covering his mouth. The Andromon's eyes widened and his sensors began to alert the danger. He started to resist, but he could only release a sharp, muffled yell when three claws pierced into his back and emerged out of the front of his metal body. Oil dripped down his chest and his body shut down before bursting into data.

Standing behind the cloud of glowing data particles was GrandisKuwagamon, who slowly lowered the Gran Killer that he stabbed the guard with. "You'll need a replacement. That's for sure…" he said as he stepped through the data particles, passing by them.

The black insect Digimon walked to the railing of the watch tower and whistled. He watched as Blitzmon and Bolgmon stealthily emerged from the shadows of the riverbank and began making their way up the metal ground. When they grew close to the electric fence, GrandisKuwagamon flew down and landed on the opposite side of the fence.

Blitzmon approached the fence and nodded at GrandisKuwagamon. "I'll do the honours," he said in a low voice. He grabbed hold of the electric fence, which immediately began to surge with electricity. Blitzmon, however, was a Digimon of electricity, so the effect was much weaker than it would have been. He growled and tore the fence open with a strong heave, creating an opening large enough for Bolgmon to go through.

"Good. Let's go before we're spotted and the D-Brigade comes down on our asses," GrandisKuwagamon said, turning and heading towards the giant building inside the fenced area. Blitzmon stepped through the fence and Bolgmon rolled in after him.

The manufactory itself was forty feet high and much, much wider. It was made with light metals, and there were several vents and vapour ducts at various points around the building.

The three quietly approached in the darkness of the night. Bolgmon rolled up beside the leading two as quietly as his treads would allow. "How do you guys wanna infiltrate?" he asked them in a whisper.

"With as little attention as possible," Blitzmon responded, surveying the building carefully as they drew nearer. He turned to GrandisKuwagamon. "Zone Black Hole?"

"I like to know what my exit looks like when I do that…" GrandisKuwagamon responded hesitantly. "But I guess it beats bashing the door down. These walking scrap heaps have metal rods up their ass ports when it comes to security."

Blitzmon nodded. "Then let's stick with the plan." He turned to the tank Digimon. "Bolgmon?"

"Yeah, I'll cover the exit from out here," he said, driving towards the wall of the manufactory.

GrandisKuwagamon stepped up to the side of the building. Nearby, a vent unleashed a surge of warm steam. "Good. Blitzmon and I will infil, find the factory director's office, get the blueprints, and then exfil." He looked around warily before turning so that his back was to the building. "Now give me some space."

Blitzmon and Bolgmon both reversed several paces, giving GrandisKuwagamon room to move.

"Slide Evolution."

GrandisKuwagamon's form became encased in a blackish-grey aura that wasn't too noticeable in the darkness of the night. Within this umbrous aura, GrandisKuwagamon's body grew substantially in size. While he still retained some of his characteristics like his black exoskeleton, orange hair, and long, jagged pincers, his body became very different. He took on the appearance of a giant, beast-like insect, with four, clawed legs. Instead of one red eye, he had two, and his four wings pointed back. Extending from his sides, between his fore and hind legs, was a pair of arms.

"GranKuwagamon…"

As he emerged from the darkness, the insect Digimon's spiked head looked around to make sure that nobody saw him.

"We're fine," Bolgmon said, glancing around and fidgeting a bit. "Now get a move on."

"Get on my back, Blitz," GranKuwagamon told him. "Keep that big, metal ass of yours outta sight, Bolg,"

"Uh huh. Just don't fuck up," Bolgmon retorted, reversing.

"With the pay this job has? Don't plan to," GranKuwagamon answered.

"And remember, the office should be on the second level near the middle of the building. Overlooking the assembly line," the large, armoured insect reminded them.

"We know," Blitzmon answered, mounting GranKuwagamon's back.

GranKuwagamon's red eyes flashed and his long, scissor-like pincers began to cut through the very fabric of space. "Zone Black Hole!"

His jagged forceps sliced open the space in front of them, creating an incision that expanded and revealed a large hole leading to a black void. The void in front of him was an inter-spatial rift. Going through it allowed GranKuwagamon to emerge wherever he needed to get to in the general area. He planned to travel through it with Blitzmon in order to get inside the factory.

The abyss opened itself up to him, inviting him. Without hesitation, GranKuwagamon flapped his wings and flew through. Blitzmon held onto him tightly.

Bolgmon watched as they went through the tear in space. As soon as the whole of GranKuwagamon's body went through, the rift shut behind them. It was as if it had never been there.

A gleeful expression formed on Bolgmon's face. "This is gonna be a fun night..."

* * *

><p>Outside, in the sizeable backyard that overlooked the adjacent river, Magnamon, Duftmon, and UlforceVeedramon stood near some of the other party guests.<p>

Like the rest of the Royal Knights, they all had formal wear on as well. Magnamon had a dark blue formal vest, pants, and bowtie, and a gold, long-sleeved undershirt. UlforceVeedramon wore a blue suit and a gold tie over a white dress shirt. For leg wear, he had on his blue tights that he always wore with his combat armour. Duftmon was more extravagantly dressed, with a dark brown suit and pants, studded with golden buttons, a white undershirt, and a long, rippling cravat from his neck down to his chest. He also had his usual red sash around his waist, deeming it nice enough to add to his attire.

"So, Duftmon," UlforceVeedramon said with a broad grin. "Are you going to go and socialize with all of these Digimon?"

Duftmon folded his arms. "If I see anybody worth having an intellectual conversation with, then I will speak with them. Otherwise, I won't waste my time," he responded.

"So… unlikely," UlforceVeedramon joked.

"I like meeting new Digimon," Magnamon said, looking around. "There are so many different types of Digimon in the world. So many personalities and stories… It's interesting."

"Not to me," Duftmon spoke. "What do I care about another Digimon's life story? Digimon aren't fascinating; _ideas_ are fascinating. History, sciences, warfare, politics, philosophy, literature… things that are intellectually stimulating. You can't have a meaningful debate about Digimon…"

"I think that's relative, Duftmon…" Magnamon told him.

"Yeah, we debate about you all the time," UlforceVeedramon teased the tactician with a playful elbow to his arm.

Duftmon gave him an annoyed, sideways glance. "Please refrain from scuffing my jacket."

UlforceVeedramon's eyebrow cocked. "Jackets can scuff?"

Magnamon smiled. However, his attention was drawn away by the thunderous footsteps nearby. He turned and looked up, seeing the tallest, most fearsome Digimon at the party stepping out of the building. A giant, gold and beige-scaled spinosaurus Digimon inadvertently loomed over them as he walked into the night air. He was at least forty feet tall – twice as large as regular Spinomons – and he had a giant, fearsome sail of blades. It was King Spinomon, the monarch of the Mesozoic Kingdom.

Flying beside his face was Sinduramon, the Rooster Deva and one of Baihumon's servants. He talked loudly, making no effort to hide their conversation, to try and match King Spinomon's booming voice.

"It's true! Omegamon betrayed the Royal Knights to join DarkKnightmon!" Sinduramon told the giant dinosaur. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"When you were their prisoner, you mean?" King Spinomon said thunderously, looking over at the rooster Digimon with a grin in the corner of his oversized mouth.

Sinduramon flushed momentarily at the memory and then turned his head to look away indignantly. "W-Well… I suppose so. That's how I know it's true!"

"Then what's he doing in there?" the dinosaur monarch asked, thumbing with his claw over his spiked shoulder. "Wouldn't the Royal Knights have thrown his ass out?"

"Oh, the Royal Knights are a bunch of bleeding hearts," Sinduramon responded dismissively. "That's why the World Tree took so much damage during DarkKnightmon's Coup. It's their fault that Baihumon wanted to pluck my tail feathers out one-by-one."

"I think that was your own fault for using your beak too much," a voice said.

Both Spinomon and Sinduramon stopped. Spinomon craned his head down and saw Magnamon standing in front of them, arms folded and looking annoyed.

"This is a private conversation, Magnamon…" the Spinomon monarch told him.

"Really? Because with the way you two were talking, it sounded like you were addressing the whole party," Magnamon responded, narrowing his eyes. "Omegamon probably heard you."

"This is my speaking voice," King Spinomon said with a bit of a snarl. He took a threatening step towards Magnamon. Despite Spinomon being nearly ten times his size, the unfazed Magnamon didn't even flinch.

"Even so, you could be more considerate," Magnamon told him. He turned and looked at Sinduramon. "Especially by not indulging in baseless gossip."

Sinduramon felt a bead of sweat run down his avian head. "S-So, I suppose you know the truth of the matter, then?" the rooster Deva challenged, not giving Magnamon an inch. "Because I saw Omegamon for myself. He was covered in black armour and he even held me down as they interrogated me!"

"Which he feels terrible about," Magnamon responded defensively. "I know he would tell you himself if you talked to him."

"If that were true, he knows where I am," Sinduramon protested indignantly.

"He isn't good with initiating conversations. He's more action-oriented…" Magnamon sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Look, Omegamon was corrupted by DarkKnightmon using dark data. He had no control over his actions. He really is a good guy, and he feels awful about what happened."

Sinduramon opened his beak to retort as he flapped in place, but he frowned and thought better of his reply. "…Well, I'll speak to him later for my apology and that'll be the end of it, I guess."

"Thank you…" Magnamon responded sincerely.

"You have a lot of guts and heart in that tiny body, Royal Knight," the dinosaur monarch observed with an amused expression.

Though he maintained a calm smile, there was an annoyed twitch in Magnamon's face. "…I'll take that as a compliment, your majesty," he replied before nodding and walking back to UlforceVeedramon and Duftmon.

Sinduramon then turned back to King Spinomon. "So, have I mentioned that Cherubimon has a thing for Ophanimon?"

"But doesn't she like Seraphimon?"

As the two went further into the backyard, Magnamon rejoined his friends.

"That was pretty good of you, Magna: sticking up for Omegamon," UlforceVeedramon told him, putting his hand on Magnamon's shoulder.

Magnamon blushed. "Yeah, well… He's a good friend," he answered.

"Would you do that for me and Duftmon?" UlforceVeedramon asked with a playful grin. Duftmon scoffed.

"You would probably both deserve it," Magnamon teased back.

"Yeah, yeah…" the cobalt Royal Knight said. He then flashed Magnamon a grin. "You so would, regardless."

"That depends on how many times you mentioned my height that day," the Knight of Miracles mentioned, beginning to head inside. "I'm going inside to talk with some of the other guests. Are you two coming?"

"Sure," UlforceVeedramon responded, following him in. "It looks like it might rain tonight anyways."

"If I must," Duftmon answered reluctantly.

The three Royal Knights walked back into the palace ballroom, unaware of what was going on across the river.

* * *

><p>Inside the factory, two Digimon walked down a wide, sturdy, metal catwalk. The catwalk was attached to the side wall of the factory, beside several small windows that overlooked the fenced-off loading yard and the river. On the other side of the walkway was the factory floor, twenty feet below it. The elevated walkway offered a good view of the production and the workers in order to ensure efficiency. At the end of a catwalk was a door leading to the factory director's office, which overlooked the entire factory floor from the end of the room.<p>

The two Digimon walked side by side, heading towards the office. The factory was dark except for the light in the factory director's office. They were the only two in the factory. One was a broad, mechanical robot Digimon with two long arms, claws on his back, a horned, beetle-like head, and a electromagnetic armour over his blue and red body. The AtlurBallistamon walked alongside a tall, humanoid cyborg covered in black armour. The HiAndromon also had a red and blue turbine on his left and right shoulders respectively.

"Everything is secured and shut down for the night, factory director," the AtlurBallistamon said, turning his head to look at the HiAndromon beside him.

"Good," HiAndromon responded. "We have increased productivity by 7% and reached our quota well ahead of Chaosdramon's deadline." He turned his head and looked at AtlurBallistamon. "I-…"

"What is it?" the AtlurBallistamon asked.

"Did you hear something?" HiAndromon queried.

"No… Perhaps it was the machinery cooling down," AtlurBallistamon suggested to his superior.

"I don't know," HiAndromon said sceptically. He turned and looked around through his visor. His gaze tightened and he scanned the dark factory. "Look out!"

"What?" AtlurBallistamon sputtered, turning around upon hearing the sharp crackle of electricity behind him.

"Thor's Hammer!" a voice shouted.

Blitzmon's body flew up suddenly in front of the railing of the catwalk. His fists were balled together, swelling with electricity as he raised them above his head. He slammed his fists down, bashing the back of AtlurBallistamon's head and sending electricity flowing through his metal body.

The stocky mecha Digimon let out a shout of pain and surprise, stumbling forwards and slamming into the wall. He pushed off of the wall and swung around, tightening his fists. "Wh-What was that?! That hurt!" he exclaimed with shock, the horn on his head sparking up. "But he's just a Blitzmon!"

Blitzmon smirked and landed on the railing of the walkway, his features highlighted by tendrils of electricity. "I'm not your average Blitzmon…" he told them.

"Intruder!" HiAndromon shouted, rushing forwards and levelling a punch at Blitzmon.

Blitzmon lunged off the railing, jumping over the punch, and threw his leg into a sweeping kick. His metal boot impacted the HiAndromon's cheek and sent him careening onto the sturdy metal catwalk.

HiAndromon sneered and clutched his face as blood dripped from the corner of his lip. "That shouldn't be possible… How is a champion-class hybrid Digimon capable of delivering such a strong blow?!"

The mercenary insect man gave him a dark grin. "I'm not constrained by your limits. Not when I'm a hybrid Digimon with the X-Antibody. I've taken down Megas before."

"X-Antibody?" AtlurBallistamon asked with an angry frown.

"He looks exactly like a regular Blitzmon, though," HiAndromon muttered. "Forget it. Destroy him, AtlurBallistamon!"

As AtlurBallistamon's upper body surged with electricity, Blitzmon merely flew back, away from the catwalk, his horn sparking.

"Rocket Bunker!" AtlurBallistamon droned dynamically, extending his arm and launching his fist with high speed, pneumatic pressure.

The fist flew towards Blitzmon, but Blitzmon vanished in an instant, reappearing over on the catwalk.

"He's fast…" AtlurBallistamon muttered.

"Anti-gravity field," Blitzmon explained with a calm grin. "Thunder Toppler."

His horn surged with flashes of electricity. The light streaked through the air as Blitzmon rushed forwards and drove his horn into the AtlurBallistamon's chest. The sturdy horn went right into the cannon port of the AtlurBallistamon's midsection. With all of his might, Blitzmon then lifted him into the air and sent electricity coursing through him. As the machine Digimon grunted with pain, Blitzmon threw him off the catwalk and AtlurBallistamon landed on a set of mechanical equipment below with a thunderous crash.

"Don't think you'll get past me, even with an X-Antibody," HiAndromon spoke, clenching his fists.

Blitzmon smirked and looked past him, down the catwalk. At the end of the walkway, he saw GrandisKuwagamon step out of the factory director's office with the blueprints under his arm.

"We already did," Blitzmon replied, nodding behind HiAndromon.

"What?!" HiAndromon demanded, spinning around to see GrandisKuwagamon.

"Don't worry," GrandisKuwagamon told him with a grin. "We'll give you guys a quicker end than Chaosdramon would. I don't think he tolerates incompetence of this level, does he?"

"Mercy deletions all around," Blitzmon spoke, cracking his electrically-charged knuckles.

HiAndromon unleashed a furious shout and charged GrandisKuwagamon desperately, preparing to do whatever he had to in order to get those blueprints back.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a figure stood outside of the palace. The air was cool, but not so much that it was uncomfortable. The flickering stars were overtaken by grey clouds.<p>

Gankoomon leaned against the metal fence that surrounded the palace. The electricity had been turned off for the party. He stood on a metal road, which led down from the city and passed in front of the palace before stopping at the steel river bank. The twelfth and newest Royal Knight was positioned right beside the entrance gate that led into the palace grounds and up to the building itself. It was guarded by two, strong-looking D-Brigade members.

Unlike the other Royal Knights, he didn't make an attempt to dress in formal attire, which caused an argument between him and Duftmon on the way there about showing them up. Instead, he just wore his usual clothing: his white jacket, black bodysuit, and red geta. In Gankoomon's mouth was a kiseru pipe that had been imported from the eastern continent. It was medium-length and slender, and had a bamboo base dyed red and two clean, metal tips. In one hand, he had a box of fine, brown threads of kizami tobacco, which he gently plucked out with his fingers. He then closed the box and placed it in the pocket of his jacket before placing the clump of tobacco in the palm of his hand and gently rubbing it into a ball. When satisfied, he placed it into the mouth of the kiseru pipe.

As Gankoomon took out a box of matches, he glanced over his shoulder, through the metal fence, over at the palace where the party was taking place. He could hear the music playing and the loud, reverberating rumbles of some of the guests. Exhaling through his nose, Gankoomon looked forwards again, struck the match, and brought the ember to the tobacco, softly lighting it. After grasping near the end of the pipe with his fingers, Gankoomon flicked the match onto the steel ground as while gently inhaling.

As he blew out a gentle puff of smoke, he watched as the Tankdramon guard who helped stand sentry at the palace gate suddenly rolled over and picked up the match in his long claws. The guard then shifted into reverse and placed the match into a nearby garbage can. Gankoomon observed this with a curious expression as he smoked, suddenly wondering if he managed to break a littering law or something.

"Hey, Gankoomon!" a voice called out.

Gankoomon turned his head and looked up the road. He saw two figures walking down from the city towards him. One was Captain Karatenmon, the captain of the Royal Knights' Stealth Forces. The black, anthropomorphic, corvid Digimon walked towards him with a small grin.

Walking beside him was a humanoid Digimon, similar in shape to Gankoomon, but leaner and more agile. Over his body, he wore a white, blue, and black, skin-tight bodysuit. While he was mostly organic, his right arm was cybernetic and completely made of metal. Thanks to the Extend Transmitter implanted in his back, the arm could shift into three different modes: the Blitz Arm, the Accel Arm, and the Critical Arm. Currently, it had the same size and form as his left arm, meaning it was in its Blitz Arm state. The top three quarters of his head was completely covered in a metal helmet, and the rest was covered in a mask. Around his neck was a long, red scarf. Both ends of it flowed in the breeze as he approached with Karatenmon.

"Karatenmon," Gankoomon greeted after releasing another breath of pungently aromatic smoke.

"Not joining the party?" Karatenmon asked him, stepping up to the knight. "I never would have thought you to be anti-social."

"I'm not. Just don't feel like it. It's too pretentious in there," Gankoomon responded with an indifferent shrug. He took the pipe out of his mouth to talk properly. "What are you doing? I thought you—"

Karatenmon placed his hand on Gankoomon's shoulder and casually led him away from the guards. He gave a subtle glance in their direction to indicate to Gankoomon that they could hear them. "My friend and I were looking around while we waited but we ran out of places to visit. For such a big city, there's not a lot in the way of tourist attractions," he innocently spoke to cover up the real reason he had accompanied the Royal Knights on their journey.

Gankoomon walked alongside the Royal Knights' spymaster up the road towards an adjacent street, away from the guards. "Oh…" he spoke in reply. He glanced over at the Justimon who accompanied Karatenmon. "And who is your friend? Does he speak?"

"He can count without using his fingers too," the superhero Digimon responded with a smirk, raising the index finger of his mechanical hand.

"On a good day," Karatenmon teased, looking over at the Justimon.

"I'm Justimon," he greeted, offering his Blitz Arm to Gankoomon. "Junior Commander of the Tactical Division of the New Dramon Army."

"Gankoomon. Nice to meet you." Gankoomon replied, switching his pipe to his other hand and shaking Justimon's hand firmly. "And you two are friends?"

"Yeah. We met in a bar in Cloudspire," Karatenmon explained. "We were both there for work."

"Sounds unprofessional," Gankoomon mused. He then grinned. "I like it." After a moment, he glanced over his shoulder to see if the guards were watching them. When he saw that they weren't, he leaned in and spoke quietly. "Weren't you supposed to be spying, Karatenmon?"

"I was," Karatenmon whispered back. "It's harder than it looks in Facture. There's a lot of security."

"Then I bumped into him," Justimon explained.

"Right when I thought I saw something across the river," Karatenmon added, looking at Justimon.

"Across the river?" Gankoomon asked, turning around and looking down the road to across the river.

"He _claims_ he saw something," Justimon spoke, looking as well.

"I'm a ninja and an avian Digimon," Karatenmon reminded him. "My eyesight is impeccable."

Gankoomon placed his kiseru in his mouth and inhaled slowly as he watched the opposite side of the river. Right as he exhaled a wisp of smoke, he saw a bright light flare up in the distance. It was followed by a nearby explosion. Across the river, flames plumed and billowed into the night sky, soon followed by a deep reverberation.

"What the…?" Gankoomon muttered, glaring.

"I definitely saw something that time," Karatenmon spoke, flapping his wings and floating off the ground.

"An explosion?" Justimon asked, his face darkening.

"Karatenmon! Go check it out!" Gankoomon said, quickly upending his pipe and tapping the tobacco out. "I'll get the others!" He took off running, dashing down the street and turning at the gate. The Royal Knight ran up the pathway to the palace to inform the other Royal Knights of the chaos taking place on the other side of the river.


	3. Chapter 2: A New Threat

(Author's Notes: Sorry this took awhile. Trying to get a few chapters written in advance. That might cause a longer-than-usual release for Chapter 3 as well. Anyways, here it is. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 2: A New Threat**

In a dark room that was dimly lit by a candle, the sounds of heavy breaths and the wet sucking of lips filled the air. Dynasmon and Rosemon were in a guest bedroom tailored for Digimon of their size. Their arms were wrapped around the other and they kissed passionately while gripping each other's clothed bodies.

"Mm, Councillor…" Dynasmon said with a deep, husky groan as he pulled away from her face somewhat.

"You may call me Rosemon," she told him with a smirk, raising her hand and gently rubbing his broad neck. "Unless you'd rather call me Councillor."

"Good to know, Rosemon," Dynasmon responded with a cheeky grin.

"So, the rumour about the Royal Knights taking vows of celibacy was false after all..." Rosemon said in a playful voice, rubbing his shoulders through his tuxedo.

"Most definitely," Dynasmon answered, winking. "Nothing would get me out of the Order faster than that."

"Good. Just as long as we both understand that what goes on here is strictly for pleasure, not business," Councillor Rosemon said, unknotting Dynasmon's tie as she forced him to sit down on the bed behind him.

"That suits me just fine," Dynasmon assured her, placing his hands on her hips.

"Speak of suits…" Rosemon spoke, slowly starting to unbutton Dynasmon's tuxedo suit from the collar down.

Dynasmon grinned broadly and relaxed, getting himself comfortable.

That is, until he heard the sound of an explosion in the distance. "What was that?" Dynasmon asked, sitting up somewhat.

"Probably just another firework or males having a silly competition outside," Rosemon said dismissively, continuing to unbutton his shirt.

Dynasmon frowned and moved his head, looking over the Councillor's shoulder, past her, to the window opposite to him. He looked out into the night and saw another fiery explosion ripple upwards from a building across the river. "An explosion…" he spoke, his eyes widening. He frowned and began to move, taken out of the mood. "Damn it. Sorry. I have to see to this."

Rosemon continued to unbutton his undershirt. "Let the D-Brigade take care of it. It's the Metal Empire's problem," she insisted. "It's probably just a guerilla attack from the JumboGamemon loyalists. You don't have to deal with that do you?"

"We're the Royal Knights. We don't know borders when it comes to helping the world," Dynasmon replied, gently lifting her off of his lap and over onto the bed. He stood up and headed towards the windows. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"D-Dynasmon!" Rosemon protested. When she saw Dynasmon get onto the balcony and flap his wings to lift off, she released a sigh of annoyance. "Insufferable Royal Knights…" she murmured, flatly looking out the window.

Dynasmon flew away from the palace, buttoning his suit up as he glided across the river.

* * *

><p>"Haahahaha!" a voice cackled maniacally.<p>

Bolgmon stood in the loading bay of the factory, hunched over with his cannon arms on the ground to brace himself. Before him was the manufactory – the entire building was ablaze and the wall in front of him had a massive hole in it. The end of his cannon leaked residual energy and smoke. The flames and cinders in front of him highlighted the wild, unhinged expression painted on his metal face.

As part of the factory collapsed, HiAndromon staggered towards the hole, surrounded by flames. He was missing most of his right arm, the stump of which sparked and spurted out oil. "Damn you…" he hissed, glaring through the collapsed wall at Bolgmon.

Bolgmon's grinned widely as the targeting display that emerged from his back put HiAndromon in his sights. "We're the Black Pincer Company! We've been damned for awhile!" he explained with a sharp cackle. "Field Destroyer!"

The end of his cannon horn suddenly glowed and surged with power once again. A massive beam ripped from the muzzle and expanded. The positron laser shot straight through the factory and consumed HiAndromon, disintegrating him immediately. The beam ripped another explosion out of the center of the factory and continued through to the building behind it, causing another series of explosions.

"Heh," Bolgmon grunted, straightening himself upwards and admiring the destruction he caused.

GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon flew around the burning factory, towards him. The sound of warning sirens began blaring across the city of Facture.

"What the hell, Bolgmon?!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted at him. "What part of 'stealth op' don't you understand?! Why'd you start blasting?!"

"You boneheads were spotted! I saw you fighting! I decided I'd save your asses again!" Bolgmon countered.

"Hey, great job! Thanks! Now the whole friggin' D-Brigade knows we're here!" GrandisKuwagamon sarcastically rebuked him.

"So, let's get out of here!" Bolgmon told him. "You got the blueprints, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I managed to get them before you could torch them along with everything else. Dumbass," GrandisKuwagamon answered with a sneer, gesturing to the papers under his arm.

"He's right, Grandis," Blitzmon said, looking over at the black insect Digimon. "We need to leave."

"No shit!" GrandisKuwagamon responded, flapping his wings. "Come on, let's exfil this place. Try not to leave a trail of destruction that'll lead them straight to us, Bolgie."

"Tch," Bolgmon scoffed, turning his treads to full gear and steaming out of there.

"What's the escape plan, Bolgmon?" Blitzmon asked him, as he was always in charge of logistics.

"Let's head to the bridge south of here," Bolgmon told them, blasting through the fence with an Ultimate Thunder blast. "We'll make a break for the gates."

"The D-Brigade's base is to the south west," GrandisKuwagamon protested. "The D-Brigade'll cut right across us on an interception course!"

"Not if we're faster!" Bolgmon countered.

"You're just looking for an excuse to fight them," GrandisKuwagamon growled. "Well, sorry, but I'm not risking this job or my life for that. I've got a better idea!"

Bolgmon raced down the street and looked over his shoulder to glare at GrandisKuwagamon.

"What's that?" Blitzmon asked GrandisKuwagamon, flying beside him.

"It's—damn it." GrandisKuwagamon interrupted himself when he looked past Blitzmon and saw Commander Fujinmon as well as Dynasmon heading towards them from over the river. "We've got company. It ain't the D-Brigade, but it's something."

"Keep going; we can't afford to slow down!" Bolgmon told them.

"Blitzmon, keep 'em away!" GrandisKuwagamon told him.

Blitzmon nodded and built up intense electrical energy in his horn. "Lightning Blitz!"

* * *

><p>As he flew across the river, Dynasmon watched as a stream of electricity shot up towards Fujinmon, who soared a ways ahead of him. Fujinmon gracefully dodged the lightning bolt. The two swords on his arms immediately ignited, allowing the glowing red and yellow beams to emerge.<p>

Fujinmon spun around in the air, whipping up a contained cyclone of wind with his body. "Marut Cyclone!" he spoke, unleashing the funnel of extreme winds towards Blitzmon, who lingered behind Bolgmon and GrandisKuwagamon slightly.

The wind swept down but Blitzmon swiftly swerved away. He managed to deftly avoid the blast as it slammed into the metal road beside him, hard enough to create a huge dent in the ground. Blitzmon briefly flipped onto his back in the air and sent another torrent of electricity towards Fujinmon from his horn.

Fujinmon narrowed his eyes but easily avoided the attack. "Impossible," he murmured as lightning shot by him. He couldn't believe that the Blitzmon could move so fast.

Dynasmon watched the fight unfold while trying to catch up to the faster flying Digimon. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Karatenmon swoop down beside him.

"Dynasmon," he greeted. "I don't think these fireworks were planned."

"Me neither," Dynasmon said to the Captain.

"I'll head over to what's left of that factory to see if I can find out what's going on before the D-Brigade shows up," Karatenmon told him.

"Sounds good. Just don't get seen or they might get the wrong idea," Dynasmon replied. "I'll try to stop these firebugs and find out who they are."

Karatenmon nodded and flapped his broad, black wings strongly before veering away and heading towards the blazing factory.

Dynasmon watched as Karatenmon flew away before turning back to the green cyborg Digimon far ahead of him. Fujinmon was still exchanging ranged attacks with Blitzmon, but neither could land a hit due to the other's speed.

The Royal Knight soon felt a presence behind him and turned to see UlforceVeedramon and Examon swoop over to him.

"Ulforce, Examon," Dynasmon greeted, looking at them before looking forwards again.

"What's going on here?" Examon asked him calmly, loading a shell into the chamber of the Ambrosius as he flew.

"Alphamon asked Ex-sama and I to check out those explosions," UlforceVeedramon explained, floating on the night breeze. "The green guy up there is Commander Fujinmon, isn't it?"

Dynasmon nodded. "The Hurricane Commander. And I have no idea. I'd say it was the JumboGamemon loyalists, but I'm pretty sure that that's a GrandisKuwagamon along with the Blitzmon and Bolgmon," he explained. "Maybe they hired a merc?"

UlforceVeedramon blinked with surprise, watching as Blitzmon continued sending streams of electricity towards. "That's a Blitzmon?! Damn, he's fast. Almost as fast as Fujinmon," UlforceVeedramon observed.

"Loyalists?" Examon asked the other two. "They're the ones who sided with Emperor JumboGamemon when Chaosdramon took over in a military coup d'état a few decades ago, right?"

"Yeah," Dynasmon responded. "Which begs the question: which side do we help?"

UlforceVeedramon smirked lightly. "Hmm… The side that's blowing up factories or the side that rules with a literal iron fist?" he added.

"In that case, maybe we should stay out of it," Examon suggested.

"Innocent Digimon could be caught in the crossfire," Dynasmon replied. "We should get both sides to stop and talk it out."

"Yeah, not much chance of that happening," Ulforce pointed out, speeding up considerably towards the skirmish as Fujinmon began to dive down.

* * *

><p>"Do you think that I'll let you get away?" Fujinmon demanded with a calm but angry tone, leering at Blitzmon. He began to manipulate the wind so that it blasted at his own back, speeding up his flying considerably.<p>

Blitzmon narrowed his eyes when he saw their pursuer's sudden burst in velocity. He turned forwards. "Grandis!" he called out to GrandisKuwagamon.

"Got it! Slow down, Bolgmon! We're doing things my way!" GrandisKuwagamon said, speeding forwards in front of the cyborg Digimon.

Bolgmon grunted but conceded. "Fine! Do it, already!" he called up to him as steam and dust was expelled from his zooming treads.

"Slide Evolution!" GrandisKuwagamon yelled out, his body becoming encased in light. His form began to grow in size. "…GranKuwagamon!"

GranKuwagamon emerged from the grey light and shot in front of Bolgmon as power began to build up in his pincers. "Zone Black Hole!"

A spatial rift ripped open in front of him like a gaping wound in the fabric of space. GranKuwagamon flew into the black abyss. Once inside, he stopped and turned around, waiting for his two comrades before closing it. Bolgmon skidded to a stop in front of the rend, stalling as he gazed into the darkness.

"Get a move on, Bolg!" Blitzmon yelled to him from behind.

Bolgmon hissed. "Okay, okay!" he responded, moving his treads again and steaming inside the void.

"Oh no you don't!" Fujinmon shouted, closing in on Blitzmon and raising his right arm up to slash the laser sword down on him.

As Blitzmon neared the rend, he spun around and unleashed a blast of electricity from his horn into Fujinmon. The Hurricane Commander seized up momentarily as the electricity ran through his metal body. This gave Blitzmon the opportunity that he needed to tumble into the Zone Black Hole. As soon as his body was in the abyss, the portal snapped shut and disappeared as if it had never been there.

Fujinmon released a shout of frustration and angrily slashed the air with his Critical Arm. "No!"

After fifteen seconds, UlforceVeedramon caught up to him and flapped his wings strongly so that he came to a stop.

"Who were those three?" UlforceVeedramon asked him.

"Intruders," Fujinmon spoke bitterly, glaring at the area in front of him.

"Informative," the cobalt knight dryly responded.

Fujinmon turned to face him with a look of frustration and annoyance on his face. "I. Don't. Know," he admitted. "Now, please, would you kindly go back to the party and let the D-Brigade take care of this?"

"We could help," Dynasmon spoke, flying up to UlforceVeedramon alongside Examon.

"Thank you, but we have an orderly way of dealing with crises. Your help would likely be a disorganizing factor," Fujinmon spoke as politely as possible, although, by the tone of his voice, he was all but telling them to bug off.

Dynasmon frowned and looked at both UlforceVeedramon and Examon.

"Let's go back," Examon advised them. "We can explain to the other knights what we saw."

UlforceVeedramon nodded. "We'll leave you to it, Commander."

Fujinmon grunted. "Thank you for your kind support," he told them before wordlessly flying off to meet the D-Brigade force that scrambled from their base.

Dynasmon sighed and turned around, beginning to fly back towards the palace. He looked over at the two Royal Knights beside him. "Just what was that about…?" he wondered.

* * *

><p>The three Royal Knights had returned to the palace. Most of the guests had come outside to see what the commotion was about. Those of who that didn't were being politely forced out of the party, which had been formally ended soon after the explosions across the river erupted.<p>

"Tch," King Spinomon scoffed, walking away from the palace, up the middle of the street, as he began heading out of the city. "I knew Chaosdramon was putting on airs. This is what happens when you don't assert yourself as a strong, capable leader. Dissension is a sign of a weakness. For all his talk about having a unified, peaceful, orderly society, he can't even keep violence from breaking out in his city when he's showing off to guests. Strength, capability, and respect; that's what makes a good leader."

Sinduramon flew beside King Spinomon's head. "You should have seen the look on Chaosdramon's face when he saw the explosions. He looked like his circuits were going to overload!"

King Spinomon let out a laugh. "Well, at least it made a boring party more exciting. These things never have enough action!"

Meanwhile, the Royal Knights walked out of the palace gates alongside Captain Karatenmon.

"I could only see a GrandisKuwagamon, a Blitzmon, and a Bolgmon," Dynasmon explained to the others.

"Ditto," UlforceVeedramon said.

"That's a pretty small group for such a brazen attack," Alphamon said.

Duftmon nodded in agreement. "Right in the industrial heart of the capital city when Chaosdramon was hosting a party for prominent Digimon… It can't simply be a coincidence. They must have wanted to make Chaosdramon look foolish."

"I don't know…" Karatenmon spoke up, rubbing his feathery chin. "I don't think it was the old loyalist faction. My sources say they've either been killed, exiled, or forced to give their loyalty to Chaosdramon. It's really unlikely that they could have conspired to attack in a city as secure as Facture," he explained.

"And there's the fact that they're bugs," Gankoomon added. "Yeah, two of them are technically cyborgs, but the GrandisKuwagamon isn't, and the other two are pretty buggy too."

"If they're an external party, then what motive would they have to attack the Metal Empire?" Duftmon asked. "The Empire is neutral. They aren't at war with anyone, and they have a substantial army, so who would be foolish enough to agitate a sleeping giant?"

"I don't know," Karatenmon replied, shrugging. "I'll have to do my own investigation."

"Just be careful," Alphamon advised him. "If you get caught, they'll think you had something to do with it."

Karatenmon smiled. "I won't get caught."

Dukemon walked and thought to himself. "GrandisKuwagamon, Blitzmon, and Bolgmon, huh?" he asked aloud. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"I was thinking that too, actually," Magnamon spoke. "I can't place where…"

"We'll check the databases when we get back home," Alphamon told them. "This might be worth looking into."

"I'll say. Something about this doesn't seem to fit," Dynasmon mused as the group of Royal Knights turned the corner down a large street.

Alphamon nodded and looked at Dynasmon. "…Oh, and Dynasmon?" he said glancing down a bit.

"Yeah?" Dynasmon wondered.

"Your zipper is down," Alphamon mentioned, giving him a small, coy glance before turning around.

Dynasmon quickly tried to zip himself up, tinting red with embarrassment. Gankoomon let out a laugh as he passed him, slapping his shoulder. "Y'should have stayed outside with me after all, bull-face."

"I'll take a pretty lady instead of you any day, moustache," Dynasmon muttered, rubbing the back of his neck and walking after the group.

* * *

><p>The twelve Royal Knights returned to their headquarters after a long travel. By the time they returned, all they wanted to do was shower, get changed, and get some rest.<p>

The castle had undergone some renovations over the past half year. The walls had been reinforced, and extensions had been made to the side of the main building, adding several extra areas. Most of the smaller hallways inside the castle itself had also been widened for ease of access. Along with that, there had been changes to the Royal Knights' forces too. Many new recruits had been accepted into the Order, and the Republic of Node had donated a company of handpicked soldiers to incorporate into the Order's military as well. This resulted in many new faces in the Order. Because of this, several new barracks and private sleeping quarters had been constructed as well.

Two of these new recruits walked into the marble foyer together, talking. One of whom was a medium-sized, quadrupedal white dinosaur. His body were hard, sharp, and metallic. His hind feet were blades which clacked with every step against the marble floor, and his long, bladed tail whipped behind him contently. Over his back was a red cape that was attached to a red hood that had on it a pair of goggles and a row of decorative, metal teeth on the hem of the hood. On the reptile's head was a large V-shaped head crest and a long, bladed, nose horn. His striking yellow eyes looked over to the larger dragon beside him.

Beside him was a blue dragon in black and gold armour who was over twice his companion's size. Despite the Imperialdramon Dragon Mode's large, fearsome appearance, it was clear from his eyes and his complexion that he was the same age as the smaller Digimon beside him.

"You should really wear those rubber things over those feet, BaoHuckmon," Imperialdramon Dragon Mode advised the dinosaur beside him with a deep but teenaged voice, eyeing the blades on his hind legs. "You'll get in trouble for scuffing the marble again."

"I hate wearing those damn things, Peri," BaoHuckmon responded, calling Imperialdramon by the nickname that he was commonly known by, partially due to his comparative youth and so that he wouldn't be confused for Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "They're awkward to wear."

"Still, you don't want your heroes getting mad at you, do you?" Imperialdramon asked, looking down at him with a grin.

"Didn't you go wild in your hometown when you evolved and attacked RhodoKnightmon and Sleipmon?" BaoHuckmon countered with a grin. "I at least never tried to blast my heroes to smithereens."

Imperialdramon Dragon Mode grimaced a bit and flushed. "That was an accident!" he exclaimed defensively. "Besides, that's why I'm not taking advantage of their generosity. They were nice enough to accept me into the Recon Forces, so the least I can do is not scratch up their floors with my claws."

BaoHuckmon sighed. "Yeah. I guess you have a point, Peri…" he conceded, beginning to walk out of the foyer and towards the building's exit. "Come on. Let's go practice our moves at the attack range."

"Okay," Imperialdramon replied, walking down the stairs with heavy footsteps.

As the two reptile Digimon headed down the entrance hall, the front doors at the end of the hall suddenly opened. The giant, wooden doors swung open and the twelve Royal Knights entered in an orderly fashion. Imperialdramon Dragon Mode and BaoHuckmon saw them and quickly moved to the sides of the hall to allow them to pass.

"Welcome home, Sirs," Peri spoke, raising his forefoot to his head to salute.

"Thank you," Alphamon responded, saluting as he walked past him.

As Gankoomon passed, he knocked BaoHuckmon on the forehead with his knuckles. "You're scuffing up the floors again, BaoHuckmon…" he told him with a mildly annoyed voice.

"Ow! Sensei!" BaoHuckmon complained, rubbing his forehead.

Dukemon chuckled. "Don't worry about it, kid," the crimson knight assured him, patting his head. "Floors are made to be walked on."

BaoHuckmon blushed. "Y-Yes, Sir."

"Don't listen to Dukemon," Duftmon spoke. "He's a bad influence."

"Yes sir," BaoHuckmon obeyed.

"Duftmon!" Dukemon protested.

"Well, it's true," the leopard knight responded. "You have a disregard for rules, you're tardy, and—"

"Okay, Duftmon. We've heard all your opinions before," Dukemon told him, walking up to the foyer.

Gankoomon looked over his shoulder. "I expect you back here in one hour for your studies, BaoHuckmon. Don't. Be. Late."

BaoHuckmon sighed. "Yeah, yeah…" he responded half-heartedly. When the Royal Knights were all in the foyer and heading into the great hall, he walked back to Imperialdramon and they both headed outside.

The Royal Knights walked down the long, wide, marble hall towards the council room at the very end. Upon reaching the end of the ostentatious great hall, Alphamon pushed the door open and stepped inside, heading to his symbolic seat around the round table. The eleven other Royal Knights followed him in and took their seats around the white, stone table.

Gankoomon let out a sigh of relief at being able to give his legs a rest. "So… This is about what happened in Facture, right?" he asked, looking over at Alphamon.

Alphamon nodded. "Indeed. It's worth discussing what went on."

"What _did_ go on?" RhodoKnightmon asked them. "We can't really know for sure. The Metal Empire will try to sweep the incident under the carpet in an attempt to save face. They will likely blame the explosions on an industrial malfunction or something."

"I definitely saw those three Digimon fleeing the area though. Commander Fujinmon gave chase but they escaped through some portal the GranKuwagamon made," Dynasmon informed them.

"I'm still trying to place why those Digimon sound familiar," Dukemon mused. "GrandisKuwagamon, Blitzmon, and Bolgmon…"

"We should get MetallifeKuwagamon to check our databases," Dynasmon suggested aloud.

"Do you still not know how to use a computer, Dynasmon?" UlforceVeedramon teased him.

Dynasmon muttered and looked away. "They're complicated…"

"Karatenmon went ahead to meet with him and explain the situation," Alphamon explained.

"I was thinking that we should get Metallife in here anyways," Magnamon spoke up. "He is originally from Facture, after all."

"He's on his way," a voice said from behind Dynasmon's chair.

Dynasmon let out a surprised yelp and looked over his shoulder abruptly. Behind him was Captain Karatenmon, standing with arms folded. "Stop doing that, damn it!" Dynasmon complained, flushing at his surprised reaction. "How do you keep sneaking up so quietly?"

Karatenmon smiled mysteriously. "A ninja never gives away his tricks."

"I thought that was magicians," Dynasmon muttered blandly.

"Karatenmon," Alphamon greeted. "How did it go?"

Instead of answering, Karatenmon looked over to the door of the council room and watched as, five seconds later, MetallifeKuwagamon stepped inside.

The head of the Royal Knights' Technical Division stepped in, holding an electronic tablet-like device in his mechanical hands. The small, book-sized flat screen has a small glowing chip jutting out of its side. The metallic, humanoid insect walked over to Karatenmon's side and nodded at the Royal Knights. "Welcome – um - home," he greeted. "How was the party?"

"Fine, thanks, Metallife," Magnamon told him.

"Were you able to find anything in our database on those three Digimon?" Alphamon asked, looking at the two.

"Yes," MetallifeKuwagamon responded, stepping forwards and placing the screen on the table in front of Alphamon. On the screen was a depiction of a GrandisKuwagamon along with some cursory information about him. Alphamon pressed his finger against the screen and pressed a button on it, switching to Blitzmon's file next. After scanning the page, he went to Bolgmon's file before passing the electronic tablet to Omegamon.

"So they were in our database," Alphamon spoke. "Who are they?"

"They're called Black Pincer Company," Karatenmon responded, folding his arms. "They're a tiny mercenary company consisting solely of GrandisKuwagamon, Blitzmon, and Bolgmon."

"Is this all we have on them?" Omegamon asked, looking at the screen in his hands before passing it to Dukemon.

"Afraid so," the spymaster told them. "They survive by keeping a low profile and letting bigger mercenary companies like Kowloon or dangerous freelancers take all of the attention. They live in the shadows. They're nobodies… and that's the way they like to keep it, I think."

"Everybody comes from somewhere," Craniamon spoke, frowning. "Do we really have nothing?"

"We don't even know where they come from," Karatenmon admitted. He looked over to Gankoomon, one of the more well-travelled knights. "I don't suppose you know them, Gankoomon?"

"'Fraid not. Never heard of 'em," Gankoomon said, frowning to himself.

"Me neither," Dynasmon admitted. "I've heard the name before, but that's it." He scratched his scaly chin. "They must have screwed up in Facture. It sounds like they wouldn't have wanted a lot of attention, especially when a party full of people like us were in full view of the explosions."

"So, you don't believe they were politically motivated?" Duftmon asked. "Given their species, they could have been from the Metal Empire originally. Blitzmon and Bolgmon are both cyborg types, and GrandisKuwagamon could be divergent from the Kokuwamon line. Not all mercenaries are totally pragmatic. Perhaps they opposed the coup d-etat that Chaosdramon dealt against JumboGamemon."

"Or maybe they were there on a job and they were hired precisely because they could pass for Metal Empire citizens," Karatenmon proposed as a counter argument. He then shrugged. "But both of these theories are just speculation at this point."

Magnamon looked over at MetallifeKuwagamon. "What do you think, Metallife? You're the expert on the Metal Empire," he asked him gently.

"Well…" MetallifeKuwagamon spoke, rubbing the back of his head shyly. "I don't think that it's politically motivated. There's next to zero resistance movement in the Metal Empire after the Corrosion Purge."

"The whatnow?" Dynasmon asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"It was the purge of dissidents and JumboGamemon loyalists by Chaosdramon and his supporters following the coup 'etat," Duftmon explained. "_Try_ to keep up, Dynasmon…"

"Fear of resistance was part of the reason why the Metal Empire is so rigid and secure now. That and the protection of their industries," MetallifeKuwagamon explained with a soft frown. "That's why they're so intent on finding me. I dared to defy them and I know an incredible amount about their technologies and how they operate…"

Magnamon stood up and walked over to his friend, placing his hand on the insect Digimon's shoulder.

MetallifeKuwagamon had hatched in the Metal Empire and grown up there. Eventually, he became one of their foremost inventors and technicians. He created incredible achievements in the Metal Empire's technology and he was rewarded for his service.

However, he got tired of the way the overbearing, domineering, oppressive government acted, as well as their constant demands of him. Feeling stifled, he escaped the Metal Empire one night and travelled to south. This was against the rules, as the Metal Empire went to great lengths to protect the secrecy of their projects, and MetallifeKuwagamon, being the genius inventor that he was, knew far too much.

It wasn't long until the government branded him a spy and a traitor, saying that he had been secretly working for somebody else. They sent an elite task force from the D-Brigade after him to drag him back. They soon caught up to MetallifeKuwagamon and attacked him, but Magnamon, who had been out on patrol, saw his plight and defended him. The Royal Knight was able to destroy the task force after a hard fought battle. Magnamon took the wounded defector back to the headquarters, and the Royal Knights decided that it would be safer for him to stay under their protection. Out of gratitude for being saved and given asylum, MetallifeKuwagamon offered to put his skills to use for the Royal Knights.

"So, what was their goal?" Sleipmon wondered.

"Um, actually," MetallifeKuwagamon spoke up. "I was able to hack into the D-Brigade's communication system. The factory in question was a smaller assembly factory for the state's primary heavy industries manufactory. The D-Brigade investigated the scene and saw that a safe had been broken into in the factory director's office and several blueprints inside had been taken. I can try to find out the nature of the blueprints, but even in private communications they're vague."

"It sounds like they were hired to steal them," Alphamon deduced.

"Or maybe they're going to sell them to the highest bidder," Dynasmon suggested. "Some mercenaries resort to underhanded tactics when there's a dry patch in commissions."

"It'd be better if we knew more about this Black Pincer Company," Dukemon said.

Karatenmon took a step forwards. "Why don't we use a contact who's well in tune with the mercenary lifestyle?" he proposed, looking over at Examon specifically. He gave him a light grin. "A friend of yours, maybe?"

Examon looked at Karatenmon. "Dorbickmon…"

"Exactly," Karatenmon replied.

"That's not a bad idea," Dukemon agreed. "His info has led to us cracking down on a bunch of those criminal mercenary groups."

Duftmon folded his arms. "I'm sure we could have accumulated that information without the mercenary's help," he put forth, not liking the fact that they're relying on a mercenary.

"As the spymaster, I find it's really helpful to have somebody on the inside," Karatenmon responded. "It's better for the contact to genuinely have their profession rather than just sending one of my spies in there undercover. They'll know the trade inside and out already, and have a pre-existing network of relations. Plus, they won't have to act as much."

"I suppose that's true…" Duftmon conceded, although with a slight frown.

"Great," Dynasmon replied. "So, let's get Dorbickmon on the thingie."

"Do you mean the LRAC?" Magnamon asked him.

"The what?" Dynasmon replied, raising an eyebrow.

"LRAC," MetallifeKuwagamon responded, taking a mechanical wrist bracelet out of his bag. The bracelet looked like a watch, but instead of a clock, it had a small audio receiver on the top. He handed the device to Examon, who put it around his wrist. "Long Range Audio Communicator."

"Yeah, the thing," Dynasmon said, folding his arms.

Examon used the tip of his claws to turn the LRAC on and set the frequency. He held the watch-like device up to his face. "Hello, Dorbickmon?" he spoke into the receiver.

"Ssssssssssssssk," the LRAC fizzled between the fluctuating, electronic sound of frequency signals.

"Hello? Dorbickmon? Can you hear me?" Examon spoke. He received no reply. The dragon knight frowned with disappointment. "It's no good. There's too much interference on the data streams so communications aren't very good."

"Oh, that's right. There's a data storm to the north west, isn't there?" Karatenmon mused. "Looks like we'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

"Allow me," a voice said from the door.

The Royal Knights and others turned to see the red, bird-like form of Zero ARMS: Grani float in.

"Oh, Grani. Hey," Dukemon greeted with a smile.

"Hello, Grani," Karatenmon said, glancing over at him.

"Karatenmon," Grani replied swiftly, hovering over to Dukemon's side. "Everyone."

"What do you suggest?" Alphamon asked the red, metallic dragon.

"My scouts will find him in no time at all," Grani assured them.

"No need. My spies can handle it," Karatenmon responded with a slight, competitive smile below his beak.

Grani shot him a restrained look. "That isn't necessary, Karatenmon," he explained. "After all, my scouts are the swiftest, sharpest, and the most adroit around. This job requires locating someone, not sneaking around in the shadows."

Karatenmon gave him a nonchalant shrug. "If you think you and your scouts can handle it, go ahead," he told him. "No feathers off of my back."

"Very well, then," Grani replied closing his eyes. "Thank you for your flexibility. That has always been one of your most prominent features."

Karatenmon chuckled a little. "I could say the opposite for you, Grani."

"Well then," Alphamon spoke, placing his hands on the table and standing up before the passive aggressiveness between them could continue. "That's settled. Grani, have your scouts locate Dorbickmon and have them bring him here, if you'd please."

"Of course," Grani responded dutifully. "It shouldn't take more than several hours."

"Enough time for me to continue writing my story," Karatenmon mused. He looked at the Royal Knights. "My services are no longer needed?"

"You're free to go, Captain," Alphamon told him.

Karatenmon nodded and began to walk out of the room. "Good luck with your hunt, Grani," he told him with a smile, looking over at the Zero ARMS.

"Why, thank you," Grani responded. "And good luck with your fiction."

"Thanks," Karatenmon answered, stepping out of the council room and turning to the nearest side door in the great hall.

"I'll get to work," Grani responded. "Goodbye, Dukemon, everyone." With those words, the Zero ARMS floated away from the table and flew down the length of the great hall to contact his Recon Squadron.

Dynasmon cleared his throat gruffly and stood up as well. "If we're done here, I'm going to go have a shower. Any of you coming with me?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm comin'," Gankoomon agreed, standing up as well.

"Me too," Dukemon spoke.

"I'll… come with you, Dukemon," Omegamon said.

"And me!" RhodoKnightmon announced.

UlforceVeedramon chuckled. "Fine, but no touching, no staring, and no flirting," he told him.

RhodoKnightmon huffed and folded his arms. "Then what is the point, Ulforce?" he complained.

* * *

><p>Hours passed until it was the late afternoon. The clouds began to glow a warm orange as the sun began to set. A mild autumn breeze swept across the landscape blowing the rippling grasslands around the Royal Knights' impressive castle and headquarters.<p>

Two guards stood on duty outside the entrance to the main building that sat at the exact center of the walled community. One was a bulky knight Digimon in heavy plate armour. The other was a caped warrior mage Digimon in majestic armour and clothing. The Knightmon and Mystimon flanked the giant doors on each side.

"So," the Knightmon guard began, looking over at his Mystimon companion. "If you were a girl, which Royal Knight would you want to date?"

The Mystimon guard turned and looked at him with a flat expression. "…Seriously? We've exhausted all other topics of conversation?" he asked him.

"Have any better ones?" the Knightmon countered.

The Mystimon paused and thought. He soon sighed. "…Fine. And don't say, 'if I was a girl'. That automatically precludes RhodoKnightmon since he – you know – likes men."

"Ooooh, so you're a Rhodo man, are you?" the Knightmon asked with a smirk.

The guard pondered. "Well, I'd want someone who can cook good food…" the Mystimon replied. "But—please, never call me a 'Rhodo man' in public again…" He palmed his face with embarrassment and exasperation.

The Knightmon laughed heartily. "So, is that your answer?"

"I don't know," the Mystimon replied quickly, not wanting to commit to an answer. "I need to think about it more. What about you?"

"Oh, Dynasmon, definitely," the Knightmon responded decisively. "He seems like a generous lover."

"Have you thought about this ahead of time?" the Mystimon said to him incredulously. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

"However, Magnamon also—"

"Shut up," the Mystimon said abruptly upon spotting something ahead of them. "People are coming. I don't want our barracks hearing about this."

The Knightmon turned and looked down the stone road that led up from the front gate towards the main building and the main street and courtyard. There, he saw the muscular, crimson, draconic body of Dorbickmon striding towards them. Dorbickmon looked around the castle grounds as he carried himself with a relaxed confidence.

Hovering beside him was a Sparrowmon scout, whose lightweight, golden, metal, jet-like form floated on the soft breeze. The Sparrowmon had folded arms and an annoyed, indignant expression.

"Great… It's him again," the Mystimon muttered, glaring at Dorbickmon as he continued up the street towards them

"Who? Sparrowmon? Sparrowmon's a guy?" the Knightmon asked.

"No, the other one. Dorbickmon…" he responded with a sneer.

"Oh, Examon's friend?" the larger guard questioned.

"And the mercenary who attacked us in the Battle of the World Tree," the smaller one replied. "I don't trust him."

The Knightmon frowned. "Yeah, but Examon does. And so does Alphamon and Dukemon, and I'm sure the others do too. Otherwise, they wouldn't have him spying for them."

"I know, but…" the Mystimon trailed off and looked annoyed.

"You trust the Royal Knights, don't you? I do," the Knightmon guard said to him.

"I do, but… well, you didn't take one of that guy's stone pillars in the chest. He nearly broke my bloody ribs, so I don't have to like him."

"Suit yourself," the Knightmon spoke as Dorbickmon and Sparrowmon approached.

"Halt. Who goes there?" the Mystimon guard said, holding his sword horizontally in front of the door.

"It's me, Mystimon," Sparrowmon responded with a look of impatient exasperation. "Just let us through; I'm not in the mood for this."

"Does he have authorization?" the Mystimon guard asked, looking at Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Yeah. I do. The Royal Knights sent for me," he responded as if this wasn't the first time he's been through this. "Like the last thirty times I showed up here."

The Mystimon shot him a quick glare before turning to Sparrowmon. "Did they?"

"Yes…" Sparrowmon replied. "Can ya move now? Please?"

The Mystimon scoffed and sheathed his sword, wordlessly letting them pass.

"Hey, Sparrowmon," the Knightmon guard spoke up. "I have a question."

"Can you make it quick, Knightmon? I want to get this guy off my hands," the yellow jet Digimon responded.

"I can feel the love," Dorbickmon sarcastically muttered.

The Knightmon guard nodded. "Are you a guy or a girl?"

The Sparrowmon scout merely stared at him. The avian Digimon suddenly clenched its small fists and glared offendedly. "Y-YOU BIG, STUPID JERK!" the Sparrowmon yelled before smacking the Knightmon across the face, putting its jet engines into overdrive, and speeding off in near tears.

Dorbickmon released a sly grin. "…Yeah, that's a sensitive topic with that Digimon. I know from experience."

"Ow…" the Knightmon murmured, rubbing his cheek. "…Hey, was that a punch or a slap?"

"I'll just go inside myself," the dragon man said, walking past the two guards and pushing the huge, reinforced doors open.

Dorbickmon walked up the long, stone entrance hall, and up the few steps near the end. He reached the door that led to the foyer and opened it. He looked around as he stepped inside the octagonal, marble foyer, seeing the two halls and two staircases that branched off from the side walls.

The mercenary decided that the Royal Knights were probably waiting for him inside the council room, so he walked forwards, across the foyer. As he neared the doorway to the great hall, he knocked his knuckles on one of the several marble pillars in the foyer. Dorbickmon went on into the great hall and walked down the vast, ostentatious room. He noted that this display of pomp was one of the reasons why he couldn't join the headquarters like Examon suggested.

Dorbickmon reached the end of the great hall and walked into the doorway at the end. He stepped into the council room and saw all twelve of the Royal Knights sitting there. They all turned or looked up when he stepped into the room.

"Finally," Craniamon muttered, leaning back in his chair boredly.

Examon saw Dorbickmon and stood up from the table. "Dorbickmon," he greeted with a small smile.

"Yo, Examon," Dorbickmon responded, giving him a quick look. "You guys summoned me?"

"My idea," a voice said from behind Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon tensed up with surprise and spun around on sheer instinct, swinging his arm to punch the presence behind him.

Karatenmon raised his hand and nonchalantly caught Dorbickmon's fist in his talons before it could hit him.

The dragon mercenary slackened and sighed, retracting his hand from Karatenmon's palm. "Cripes. Don't sneak up on me like that. I could have roasted you," Dorbickmon told him with a sideways leer.

"Sorry; habit," Karatenmon responded with a half smile. "We want your professional opinion on something."

"Yeah?" Dorbickmon asked, walking over to the table. "What's that, exactly?"

"I'll fill you in," Alphamon told him.

Dorbickmon listened as Alphamon explained to him what had happened during their visit to the Metal Empire. The dragon man nodded and followed along.

"Okay… So, a GrandisKuwagamon, Blitzmon and Bolgmon took some blueprints and destroyed a factory," Dorbickmon summarized.

"Do you know them?" Karatenmon asked him. "They call themselves Black Pincer Company."

Dorbickmon folded his arms and thought to himself for a moment. "Black Pincer Company… Yeah, I know them," he responded.

"You do?" Examon asked, looking at him.

"Well, I guess I should say I know _of_ them; I don't know 'em personally," Dorbickmon clarified. "I've never worked with them on any jobs. We have different skill sets and ways of operating, so we have very different clientele."

"How do you know them?" Dynasmon asked. "If it's through the rumour-mill, it's not exactly helpful."

"We frequent the same bar, actually," Dorbickmon explained with a grin.

"Of course you do," Duftmon muttered.

"Which bar?" Dukemon asked him.

"It's called The Severed Arms," the mercenary answered. Dorbickmon let his arms rest at his sides. "It's a grotty little place in Shroud, but the beer and entertainment is pretty good."

"You've been to Shroud?" Magnamon asked him.

"Well, duh. I don't think it's any secret here that my past isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. I've needed a place to lay low a few times," Dorbickmon explained.

Examon rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry… but what's Shroud?" he sheepishly asked.

Dorbickmon turned and stared at Examon incredulously. "…You seriously don't know what Shroud is?" he questioned. He walked up to Examon and flicked his nose horn with his claws playfully. "I know you lived in the United Dramonic Coalition forever, but come on; how dense are you? Aren't you Royal Knights supposed to be informed about stuff?"

UlforceVeedramon chuckled. "Gankoomon's supposed to be the naïve fresh meat now, Examon. You're off the hook," he joked.

"I'm probably more well-travelled than most of you," Gankoomon insisted.

Examon flushed and scratched his cheek with embarrassment. "I haven't seen Shroud on any maps."

"You have been looking at the wrong maps," Duftmon told him. "It is definitely in 'Atlur's Atlas', although I find his pun name for the collection extremely trite," he explained, referring to AtlurKabuterimon, who was better known as AncientBeetlemon of the Warrior Ten. In addition to that, AtlurKabuterimon was an explorer and a cartographer – one of the most respected ones, at that.

"Shroud's a large town in the north area of the continent," Gankoomon explained. "The people in charge are pretty corrupt, so they rent the city out as a safe haven for outlaws, mercs and criminals in exchange for money. It's not really well known because there's a perpetual data storm raging over the place, which means communications don't work and it's hard to see from the air."

Dorbickmon grinned a bit. "I'm a little surprised you knights haven't tried to take the town by storm if you know that much."

"Refuges for outlaws are beneficial to us as well, Dorbick-kun," Karatenmon explained to him with a teasing smile. "Why wipe out a gathering ground for criminals and a great source of information?"

Dorbickmon turned and looked at the avian spymaster with a look of confusion on his scaly face. "Dorbick-what?" he asked, unfamiliar with some of the terminology that originated from the eastern continent.

"Dorbick-kun and Ex-sama," UlforceVeedramon laughed. "I like it."

"So do I…" RhodoKnightmon said with a mischievous glint in his helmet.

"Can we please get back on topic?" Duftmon asked with a tired sigh. "I _do_ hate tangents…"

"I'm not a huge fan of cosines, myself," UlforceVeedramon spoke up with a smile.

Duftmon shot him a glare. "Mathematics are not a joking matter."

Dorbickmon rolled his eyes. "So, was that all you guys wanted from me? Info on those low-rent mercenaries?"

"Well, we could use more information," Alphamon explained. "What else can you tell us about them?"

The dragon mercenary folded his arms and thought to himself. "Let's see… They've been a mercenary group for about seven years. It's been GrandisKuwagamon, Bolgmon, and Blitzmon from the start, and they don't hire any new members. I dunno why not, but my guess is that it's because they're pretty close knit and more members would mean less reward money for each cut."

"What sort of mercenary work do they do?" Alphamon asked him.

"Covert ops," Dorbickmon answered. "Since they're a small group and pretty low key, it works for them. They're usually pretty good at it too."

"What kind of covert ops?" UlforceVeedramon questioned.

"Infiltration, theft, extortion, sabotage, espionage, kidnapping, assassinations, blowing stuff up…" Dorbickmon explained. "Pretty messy stuff. They'll take any job they can handle with three guys; doesn't matter who their client is."

"So, they're unscrupulous," Dukemon said.

Dorbickmon nodded.

"Hmm…" Captain Karatenmon hummed, thinking to himself. "Are they a part of a ninja clan? Or have they ever been? That shopping list of activities you just mentioned has the hallmark of a ninja," he mentioned, being a ninja himself.

"I got no idea," Dorbickmon responded with a shrug. "Their past is a big blank. I don't even know where they're from. I heard a rumour that they used to be petty thieves and street rats before they started their own merc team, but who knows if that's true?"

"So, the Metal Empire was outsmarted by a handful of insect guttersnipes?" Duftmon asked rhetorically.

"Hey, if it's true, that means they're pretty street smart," Dorbickmon responded to Duftmon's derision. "You have to be to begin with, if you want to survive in the mercenary business."

Gankoomon nodded. "True enough."

"Dorbickmon, can you find out more about Black Pincer Company?" Alphamon asked him. "You wouldn't be opposed to that, would you?"

"That can be arranged," Dorbickmon responded, folding his arms confidently. "I'll have to be careful though."

"Don't do anything that would put yourself at risk," Examon told him with a soft frown.

"I won't. I can handle myself, Examon," Dorbickmon told him with a grin. "Cripes. You worry as much as my mom."

Examon narrowed his eyes and folded his winged arms.

"Examon has a point," Alphamon said. "Don't be obvious."

"I've been doing this for several months now, haven't I?" Dorbickmon told them. "I know it's hard, but trust me. I'll find out what I can about the bugs."

"See if you can find out what the blueprints they stole were," Duftmon told him. He looked at Karatenmon. "You, as well, Captain. It might give us a clue as to who their client might be and what they want."

"Gotcha," Dorbickmon spoke.

"Leave it to me," Karatenmon agreed.

"Thank you," Alphamon told them.

Dorbickmon placed his hands on his hips. "So, is that all?"

Examon paused and looked at the other Royal Knights. After a few moments, he looked back at Examon. Why don't you stay the night? You came all this way, after all."

Dorbickmon raised an eyebrow and looked uncertain and leery at the prospect. "Stay the night…? I don't know…" he looked at the other Royal Knights, half-hoping that there would be enough protest at the idea. While he didn't really want to walk all the way back to the inn where he had been staying which was hours away, he didn't entirely feel comfortable sleeping at a place like this. He was also well aware that he wasn't liked or trusted by a lot of the Order.

"You don't have to, of course…" Examon responded, wondering if he made another social gaff. "I just thought that it would be a waste for you to come all the way here just for a few minutes."

"I certainly don't mind," Alphamon suggested. "We have several free guest rooms."

The other Royal Knights gave nods of tacit approval or shrugs of indifference.

"Yes, stay the night!" RhodoKnightmon exclaimed, looking between Dorbickmon and Examon.

Dorbickmon stalled. He gave a quick glance over at Examon. Examon looked at Dorbickmon, waiting for his reply. The mercenary wasn't sure if it was him, but he thought he saw a hint of expectation in Examon's otherwise neutral expression. Dorbickmon sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, okay. Curious to see how good you knights have it here, anyways," he replied. When he saw Examon begin to smile, he punctuated, "But just for one night."

"Very well," Examon spoke calmly.

"Then I think we're done here," Alphamon said, "Unless anybody has anything else they want to bring up…?"

The Royal Knights shook their heads.

"Then the meeting is adjourned"

Examon nodded. "I'll show you around, Dorbickmon."

"_Yes_," RhodoKnightmon thought to himself. "_Show him to your big, comfortable bed… Do it, Examon! For the sake of love!_"


	4. Chapter 3: Times Past and Time Present

(Author's Notes: Big thank you to everybody for your reviews and your patience. Sorry I couldn't get around to replying to them because I've been pretty busy. I'll try to do so with this chapter. Supper big thank you to GlacialCranberry AKA J3rry1ce over at Deviant Art. She drew some awesome comics of A Dragon in Shining Armour and you should all check her art out because it's really nice, Unfortunately I can't put in links here because fanfiction net is stupid that way. But yeah. Anyways, enjoy.)

**Chapter 3: Times Past and Time Present**

Two half moons loomed in the starry sky. The low growl of an engine harmonized with the clicking of metal treads rolling across the grass and the low drone of insect wings beating. Three Digimon moved swiftly under the cover of night.

Bolgmon sped along the ground, kicking up dirt and clumps of grass behind him. Meanwhile, GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon flew above him, with their backs against the night sky. The metal insect below them suddenly began to decelerate and roll to a relaxed speed.

"I think we're in the clear now," Bolgmon said with a sigh, looking around the general vicinity.

They were in a vast stretch of grassland that went on for kilometers. The only things in the immediate vicinity were a small pond that was way over to their left and a random yield sign sticking up in the grass in front of them.

"No thanks to you," GrandisKuwagamon said, shuddering his wings as he flew down and landed beside the signpost.

"I _said_ sorry," Bolgmon responded with a roll of his eyes as he drove over to the sign and stopped in front of GrandisKuwagamon.

"Great, thanks, Bolgmon," the black insect muttered. "Now we've probably got a team of Dick-Brigade special forces chasing after us. Those scrapheaps will chase us like a Greymon chases a steak… especially since we've got some of their precious blueprints."

"In that case, they were going to chase us anyways," Bolgmon retorted.

"But now they know what we look like and we've lost our head start on them," GrandisKuwagamon challenged.

"Arguing isn't going to solve anything," Blitzmon told them.

"No, but it's a good way for me to relieve stress," the black insect answered, folding his arms and flexing his scissor-like mandibles.

"Let's go incognito for a bit," Bolgmon suggested. "Lay low in Shroud or Dark Point or somewhere until the heat's off us. The client said we can take as long as we need."

"Bad idea. They're not gonna stop looking for us," GrandisKuwagamon countered. "Those blueprints are hot; I'd rather hand them off as quickly as possible."

"You're so cynical, Grandis," Bolgmon told him with a look of levity in his eyes.

"Yeah, and I'm still alive and kicking so why fix what isn't broken?" He turned his crimson eye over to Blitzmon. "What d'you think? You're the tiebreaker again."

"Hmm…" Blitzmon folded his arms and frowned. "You've got a point about handing off those blueprints as soon as possible… but we don't know where to meet up with our client. If we're being chased, I don't want to figure that out on the fly. We should lay low until we figure out our next move."

"Fine," GrandisKuwagamon said. "I don't want to stay in one place for too long though."

Blitzmon nodded. "I agree."

"So, Shroud? Couple rooms at the Severed Arms?" Bolgmon suggested.

"Yeah. I could kill for some real beer," GrandisKuwagamon agreed. "Not that piss they served in Facture."

Blitzmon nodded. "Let's head out before we lose our lead."

The three insect Digimon took off and passed the signpost, hurrying south, towards their safe haven.

* * *

><p>The next day was a warm one in the Free Area. The sun was unrestricted by clouds, so it could send rays of heat and light beating down across the grassy landscape.<p>

Inside the Royal Knights' castle, Dorbickmon trudged out of the guest room that he stayed in. The rushing sound of the river that ran beside the south wall of the castle prompted him to go to relieve himself. He released a yawn from his draconic mouth and walked down the stone hallway.

Upon reaching the end, the big, red, dragon man opened a door at the end of the hallway and walked in before closing the door behind him. A minute passed and Dorbickmon washed his hands and opened the door to walk out. After a few steps, he stopped abruptly.

Standing several paces away from him was OuRyuumon.

OuRyuumon walked down the hallway towards the washroom, stopping as soon as he saw Dorbickmon appear from the lavatory. He narrowed his eyes when they locked with Dorbickmon's.

The mercenary stopped upon noticing OuRyuumon. He saw the gold dragon's sharp, violet eyes staring into his own. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his head and he waited for OuRyuumon to make the first move.

Neither of them forgot their last face-to-face encounter. OuRyuumon had been DarkKnightmon's prisoner and when the Royal Knights came to rescue him, Dorbickmon put his sword to his throat and used him as a meat shield.

The air grew thick with tension, discomfort, and anticipation. Both dragons waited for the other to do something.

Dorbickmon watched OuRyuumon carefully. There was a fierce yet unreadable look in OuRyuumon's eyes. He watched the Captain of the Strike Forces grit his teeth. Dorbickmon's own eyes glanced down and he was relieved to see not a sword in OuRyuumon's hand but a large toothbrush. At least he couldn't do much damage with that.

OuRyuumon released a short breath and began striding towards the mercenary. "Hey! Exadork's friend!" he called out to Dorbickmon gruffly as he made his way towards him. "I've got a score to settle with you!"

"_Here we go…_" Dorbickmon thought. He shrugged. "Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"It might if I thought you meant it," OuRyuumon said in a growly voice as he stepped up to Dorbickmon, standing up straight so that his tall form loomed over Dorbickmon's in a display of dominance. He bent down so that he was face to face with Dorbickmon. He raised his hand and stuck his toothbrush against Dorbickmon's chin threateningly. "Forget your sorries."

Dorbickmon inwardly sighed and thought that this was going to be a hassle.

"Get your weapons to MetallifeKuwagamon and install the training program," OuRyuumon suddenly continued. "You and me are sparring at noon."

Dorbickmon blinked. He was expecting to be cussed out or punched in the face right there in the hallway. "What?"

"You heard me. Fight me dragon to dragon and maybe I'll forget about you being a complete dick," OuRyuumon told him. He prodded Dorbickmon's neck with his toothbrush. "Unless you're a coward."

After a few moments of shock, the mercenary grinned competitively. "You're on, but don't expect me to let you win."

"Damn well better not, Dorbickdick," OuRyuumon responded with a smirk of his own. "By the way, borrow Exadork's toothbrush. Otherwise your breath will finish me off before the match even starts."

"Tch," Dorbickmon responded. "You talk big."

"Uh huh," OuRyuumon fired back, passing Dorbickmon and heading into the washroom. "Don't be late!"

"I won't," Dorbickmon said, looking over his shoulder. When the washroom door closed, Dorbickmon walked away.

After brushing his teeth and having a shower, OuRyuumon emerged from the washroom in a long, custom-fitted black shirt and red shorts. He felt fresh and ready to face the day while he rubbed the towel across his damp purple hair. He tossed the towel in the laundry hamper and started making his way down the hallway.

Alphamon turned the corner at the end of the hallway and began to walk towards him.

OuRyuumon saw him and smiled. "Morning, Alphamon," he greeted.

"Good morning, OuRyuumon," Alphamon responded with his own smile. He observed him for a few moments. "You showered over in this wing of the castle?"

"Yeah. Craniamon was using the shower in the other wing and Magnamon was next in line, so…" OuRyuumon shrugged.

"I see," Alphamon answered with a nod. He looked at OuRyuumon. "You smell nice."

OuRyuumon flushed mildly but he grinned at the innocuous comment. "Thanks."

"…At least, better than usual," Alphamon added with playful levity.

OuRyuumon laughed and tossed his wet towel onto Alphamon's face. "Smart ass."

Alphamon chuckled and pulled the towel off of him. "Can I use this? I'm about to shower, myself."

"Go nuts. There's plenty of hot water left," OuRyuumon told him.

Alphamon nodded. "By the way, I should warn you…"

"Dorbickmon's here?" OuRyuumon asked. "Saw him."

"And… can he still walk?"

OuRyuumon grinned. "I haven't touched him. Unless you're asking if Examon did something to him overnight," he playfully added.

Alphamon's cheeks tinted at the idea. "I wasn't. So, you're not mad at him?"

OuRyuumon shrugged. "I'm trying not to hold a grudge. We're going to thrash it out in a controlled sparring match later. That way I can still get a _little_ bit of payback," the Captain said.

Alphamon smiled. He was proud that OuRyuumon was acting more mature than he used to. Not to mention that he was finding comparatively healthier ways to release his adrenaline and aggression. "It should be an exciting match. I'll check it out if I have time," he told him. "Try not to lose your temper if you lose."

OuRyuumon laughed and folded his arms. "Who said anything about losing?" he asked him confidently.

Alphamon grinned. "_Well… Somewhat more mature…_" he inwardly thought. "We'll see. Talk to you later, OuRyuumon."

OuRyuumon smirked and nodded. "Later, Alphamon," he replied, beginning to walk past him and down the hall.

Alphamon passed him and disappeared into the washroom.

As he did, OuRyuumon glanced over his shoulder. Part of him wanted to go in there after him. He kind of hoped that they could pick up their relationship where they left off.

However, doubt seized OuRyuumon. He wasn't sure if the timing was right for Alphamon. Alphamon hid it from the others well, but OuRyuumon knew that he still felt guilty over killing DarkKnightmon. There was also the fact that OuRyuumon didn't feel confident enough to ask Alphamon that big question. The only reason he had been able to confess his feelings to him in the first place was a string of five beers on a fateful night. He didn't think it would have the same effect a second time.

Instead, OuRyuumon gave him a lingering glance and turned forwards, heading down to the end of the corridor.

He reached the point where the hallway ended and turned left at a ninety degree angle. Just ahead of the corner was a staircase that lead down to the foyer on the first level of the castle. He made his way down and emerged in the marble room. From there, OuRyuumon headed down one of the hallways towards where the computer room was. He expected that MetallifeKuwagamon would be in there at around this time.

Indeed, when OuRyuumon walked to the doorway of the computer room, MetallifeKuwagamon was in there, talking with Magnamon.

"Hey, Metallife," OuRyuumon hailed. "Magna."

Both MetallifeKuwagamon and Magnamon turned to look at him. "Hello, OuRyuumon," the humanoid, cyborg insect replied.

"What brings you here?" Magnamon asked him.

"I came to ask Metallife if he could put the training program on my scimitars when he's got the time." OuRyuumon turned to look at MetallifeKuwagamon. "Can you?"

"Sure. Just the Gairyus or your body as well?" the technician asked.

"My body too," OuRyuumon responded. "I'm having a match against Dorbickmon so I'm gonna go all out."

"I suppose it will go double for him," MetallifeKuwagamon assumed.

"It better. His sword was friggin' hot," OuRyuumon spoke, remembering the time the Tyrant Collbrande was held at his throat. He paused for a few moments before heating up. "I didn't mean it like that!" he suddenly insisted, worried about his phrasing.

"Pardon? Mean it like what?" MetallifeKuwagamon asked with confusion.

"Some people have such dirty minds," Magnamon said with an amused smile, understanding what OuRyuumon was embarrassed about after a few moments of thought.

"But I was—" OuRyuumon rubbed his flushed face. "Never mind. I'll come back with Dorbickmon when you're free, Metallife."

MetallifeKuwagamon nodded. "Before lunch?" he asked.

"Sure," OuRyuumon quickly said as he turned around and left the room to disappear around the corner.

MetallifeKuwagamon nodded again. After a few seconds, he suddenly blushed and rubbed his face. "Oh… I see what he meant now," he murmured.

Magnamon chuckled. "I shouldn't laugh. He's obviously still insecure about it," he said, though still smiling.

"I don't see why he should be," MetallifeKuwagamon spoke. "The Strike Forces all respect him for his combat prowess."

Magnamon shrugged. "Everybody has something that they're insecure about," he replied consciously.

"Even Duftmon?"

Magnamon laughed lightly. "I'm sure even Duftmon. But I doubt he would ever admit to what it was."

MetallifeKuwagamon sat down in his swivel chair and looked down at his lap.

The Knight of Miracles noticed his change in body language. "Metallife?" he asked him with a hint of concern.

"…This theft of the blueprints from the Metal Empire… It's sure to rile them up. They'll likely send multiple covert task groups from the D-Brigade all over to hunt down the thieves. I know from experience their tactics, after all…" MetallifeKuwagamon said, narrowing his eyes with worry.

"Are you worried they'll start hunting for you again?" Magnamon asked him.

MetallifeKuwagamon nodded. "They might even suspect that we had something to do with it. I'm sure they know by now that you and the other Royal Knights are harbouring me."

Magnamon placed his hand on MetallifeKuwagamon's shoulder. "We're not 'harbouring' you. You're one of us now. That means if Chaosdramon and his D-Brigade want you, they'll have us to answer to," he said before giving MetallifeKuwagamon a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Magnamon," MetallifeKuwagamon told him. "I would likely have been deleted or placed under house arrest if it weren't for you."

"As I said before, I was just in the right place at the right time," Magnamon insisted. "Besides, you've more than repaid the favour with all you've done around here."

MetallifeKuwagamon turned his chair to face the massive computer system installed against the wall. He began to type away rapidly at the keyboard. "Well, I would rather use my talents to aid a noble cause than to help the Metal Empire elites get richer and more powerful."

Magnamon chuckled lightly. "See? You're thinking like a Royal Knight now too," he told him.

MetallifeKuwagamon smiled inwardly. "This Order is lucky to have you as one of the founding members," he mumbled to himself, his eyes scanning the screen in front of him.

The golden knight, who was making to leave, stopped and glanced over at the insect Digimon. "Pardon?" he asked, not having heard him.

"Nothing," MetallifeKuwagamon responded with a shake of his head. "Just running a DADAR system scan."

Magnamon smiled. "I'll leave you to it, then. See you later," he told him, walking out of the room.

The Miracle Knight meandered down the stone hallway. He supposed he might go for a run since he'd been feeling a bit groggy ever since waking up.

At the opposite end of the hallway, walking towards Magnamon, were Sistermon Noir and Sistermon Blanc.

The taller, darker-clothed of the two led the way. Sistermon Noir walked with her arms lazily rested behind her head. "I'm so damn booored…" she complained. "Gankoomon has BaoHuckmon all day, so we don't even get to help him train."

"Maybe do something productive…?" the younger, shorter, white-clothed sister suggested in a meek voice.

"Like what, Sis?" Sistermon Noir asked boredly.

"The library…?"

"Heeey, yeah. Maybe they'll let me shoot some old books!" Sistermon Noir said excitedly.

"Th-That wasn't what I meant!" Sistermon Blanc protested, grabbing hold of her older sister's arm in case she ran off.

Sistermon Noir rolled her eyes and kept walking. "Hey, isn't that Magnamon?" she asked aloud, noticing the familiar form at the end of the corridor.

Sistermon Blanc suddenly squeaked, let go of her sister, and ducked into the nearest room.

"Maybe he—huh?" the dark-garbed Sistermon asked upon noticing that Sistermon Blanc had suddenly disappeared.

Sistermon Blanc hid in the doorway of a supply closet and meekly peered out Magnamon with a blushing red face.

The Royal Knight headed towards Sistermon Noir. "Hello," he greeted politely.

"Hey," Sistermon Noir replied confidently.

"You're not training BaoHuckmon today?" Magnamon asked her.

"Nah. Gankoomon said he'd take care of that," she responded. "Hey, did you see where my sister went, by any chance?"

"Sorry. Isn't she usually with you?" Magnamon questioned.

"Yeah. At least, until she's near a cute guy," Sistermon Noir explained, knowing full well that her sister could probably hear her.

Sistermon Blanc blushed intensely at the words and prayed that Magnamon wouldn't pay any attention to her.

Magnamon chuckled a bit, not realizing that it was him that Sistermon Noir meant. "I see. Is it Ulforce?" he asked, wondering if that was who she meant.

Sistermon Noir grinned knowingly. "You're not far off…" she playfully answered.

"Well, if I see her, I'll let her know you're looking for her," Magnamon told her, passing her and heading closer to the doorway that Sistermon Blanc was hiding in.

She panicked and stepped further in the room, hiding inside until he passed.

After several moments, Sistermon Noir spoke up. "It's safe to come out now!" she chimed loudly.

Sistermon Blanc cautiously emerged from the room, looking down both ends of the hallway. She sighed with relief when she saw that she was in the clear. Sistermon Blanc walked out and over to Sistermon Noir. "J-Jerk…"

Sistermon Noir grinned. "What? It's not like I told him you like him."

"Sis!" Sistermon Blanc protested at the statement.

Sistermon Noir ignored her and thought to herself. "Wait, does that mean he thinks UlforceVeedramon's cute? Hmm. That's what you should worry about instead of getting mad at me, y'know," she told her younger sister.

"…Jerk!" Sistermon Blanc yelled in a high, sharp voice. She stomped away from Sistermon Noir and marched down the end of the hallway that Magnamon had come from.

"Oh, come on!" Sistermon Noir called after her, following her angry sister. "I was just joking! Mostly!"

* * *

><p>Beam bullets tore through the warm, late morning air. The glowing, yellow blasts of energy slammed into two wooden, humanoid targets standing side-by-side. The bursts tore the ambiguously shaped, fake Digimon to splinters. The structural integrity of the targets faltered and they broke into bursts of data. When the data clouds emerged, the patter of rapid gunfire faded. Five seconds after the data faded, the two destroyed targets were replaced by a new pair that shot up from the ground.<p>

A female Paildramon faced the Royal Knights' target range. She had a lean, athletic, draconic build and possessed an air of composure and confidence. Apart from being slightly more svelte and more feminine-bodied than the average male Paildramon, she retained all the other characteristics. She had sleek, smooth blue scales and a white underbelly with an XV symbol on it. She also had the standard black and green armour over her legs, torso, upper body, and forearms. The muzzles of two teal cannons that flanked her hips breathed smoke and residual beam energy as they cooled. She lowered her cannons and adjusted her tail and wings for balance.

Paildramon swiftly raised her arms out in front of her, spreading them diagonally so that they aimed at two targets in her peripheral vision. "Cable Catcher!" she spoke. As the second syllable left her lips behind her red and white helmet and mask, her ten finger claws ejected from her gauntlets and shot forwards. They were guided by flexible metal cables which provided her with a degree of control over them as they soared through the air.

Five claw-tipped cables stabbed into the head and chest of the target dummy on the left. The other five wrapped around the target on the right, ensnaring it. She them pulled her right arm back powerfully and ripped the target from the ground. These two targets also burst into data and were replaced in their stations by new ones.

"I'm coming over," a male voice announced himself abruptly from behind her.

Paildramon retracted her cable claws back into her hands and relaxed her stance, signifying that she was out of her combat mode. She looked over her shoulder to see who was addressing her.

UlforceVeedramon smiled and meandered over. "You've got good aim," he complimented.

"Thank you," Paildramon replied, turning around to face him calmly. "It's easy to hit stationary targets, though."

With a grin, UlforceVeedramon stopped in front of her and placed his hands on his hips. "I could activate the moving target system, if you want," he suggested with a friendly grin.

"Maybe after I get warmed up, Sir UlforceVeedramon," she answered.

"Oh, you can just call me Ulforce. Six syllables is kind of a mouthful, isn't it?" he said with a light laugh.

Paildramon smiled slightly. "Try saying 'Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode' every time you evolve."

UlforceVeedramon laughed again. "My sympathies. I hope you start mid-evolution." He smiled eagerly. "I don't think we've had much of a chance to chat since you joined a few months ago. You're Councillor Imperialdramon's daughter, aren't you?" he asked.

"I prefer 'Paildramon', but yes," she responded with a hidden, playful smirk.

"Sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his horned head. "How are you settling in? I know living here at our headquarters must be different from being in the Republic of Node's military."

"I'm settling in fine. It's nice that the barracks here are relatively private," Paildramon responded.

"Glad to hear you don't mind," UlforceVeedramon said.

"Not at all," the dragon woman replied.

"How long have you been in the Republic's military, do you mind me asking?" the cobalt Royal Knight followed up.

"About six years," she explained.

UlforceVeedramon smiled. "Oh, yeah? I've seen you in action and you're pretty impressive."

"Thank you," Paildramon responded, looking at him with a knowing smile. "But why do I get the feeling that you're trying to flatter me?"

UlforceVeedramon chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, I was being genuine," he insisted. "But okay. You have me. Would you be interested in going for a drink with me at some point?"

Paildramon looked at him with a diplomatic gaze. "I don't want to be rude – especially not to a Royal Knight – but… I'm not interested. At least, not in the way that you're intending…" she answered. "I'm sorry, UlforceVeedramon. I don't think it would be a good idea."

UlforceVeedramon rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled sheepishly. "No, I'm sorry. I'll just slink away now…" he playfully responded.

Paildramon smiled. "It's nothing personal, honestly. It's just a general rule I have not to get involved with people I'm working with. It's unprofessional and it could lead to complications," she explained. "Especially when they happen to be one of the Royal Knights."

"Yeaaah, that's probably smart, actually," UlforceVeedramon said with a half smile. "I understand."

"However…" Paildramon added. "If you wanted to go for a drink in a purely friendly, gallant manner, I wouldn't have any objection to that."

UlforceVeedramon smiled a bit wider. "In that case, you're on," he replied. "The tavern later?"

Paildramon nodded. "I'm usually finished my jobs by sunset."

"Great, I'll see you then," UlforceVeedramon told her. "There's a few things I need to see to."

"Bye, UlforceVeedramon," she said to him, turning around to face the target range again.

UlforceVeedramon flapped his wings to fly into the air. When airborne, he darted over the castle grounds and headed towards the headquarters.

* * *

><p>"S-Sensei… Can I stop now…?"<p>

BaoHuckmon panted as he raced around the edges of the training grounds. Sweat dripped down his body and he ran more sluggishly than he did when he first started. The training grounds was a vast area inside the castle walls, so just two laps around the area would be enough for a decent amount of exercise. BaoHuckmon had lost track of how many laps he had done.

In front of him was Gankoomon. He was running backwards at a leisurely pace so that he could face his teenage student. He didn't wear his trademark jacket as it would have likely fallen off during the running.

"You're the one who decided you wanted to become a Royal Knight," Gankoomon reminded him, still running in reverse as he looked at him. "You're gonna need to do better than this if you want to have any chance of getting knighted."

"But…" BaoHuckmon began before suddenly thinking better of himself. His gaze hardened with determination at Gankoomon's words and he began to push himself harder. He picked up his speed with a burst of reinvigoration. His sweat-drenched, hooded, ruby cape rippled behind him as he ran. "I can… do it…" he muttered between grunts.

Gankoomon grinned and picked up his speed as well. He found that training his eager student was much easier ever since joining the Royal Knights and moving them into the castle. Since BaoHuckmon was surrounded by his heroes and inspirations, it made him want to work harder, and it generally made him more obedient too. They seemed to be a positive source of motivation for him. On the other hand, it made BaoHuckmon eager to want to impress them too, which sometimes led him to be reckless.

"Good, because I think Dukemon is watching," Gankoomon told him with a smile.

"H-He is?!" BaoHuckmon asked, looking around eagerly. As his attention grew distracted, BaoHuckmon's legs wobbled and he began to trip. "Whuagah!" he exclaimed as the muscles of one of his forelegs shuddered and his legs buckled. BaoHuckmon crashed to the ground and skidded a little, getting a face full of grass and dirt.

Upon seeing this Gankoomon stopped running. "…Okay, maybe that's enough for the day," he stated, placing his hands on his hips.

BaoHuckmon's yellow eyes grimaced and he felt his face heat up with embarrassment. He slowly lifted his head and looked up at Gankoomon. "Dukemon saw that, didn't he, Sensei?"

Gankoomon grinned and walked over to his student to help him to his feet. "Hey, even Royal Knights make asses of themselves sometimes."

"Not often," BaoHuckmon muttered, not looking around out of fear of making eye contact with somebody after that embarrassing moment. "Can we go get a drink? I think I swallowed some dirt…"

Gankoomon chuckled. "Sure."

The dinosaur Digimon trudged across the training grounds alongside Gankoomon. He released a tired yawn and inwardly looked forward to giving his tired legs a rest.

The Royal Knight folded his arms and looked down at his student. "So, Huck – sorry – BaoHuckmon…" he began.

The caped reptile quickly looked up at him. "That wasn't a yawn, Sensei," he insisted as they neared the edge of the training grounds.

"Whatever you say," the grinning Gankoomon said. "What I was going to ask was if you're really still intent on becoming a Royal Knight one day."

"Of course I am!" BaoHuckmon exclaimed with an excited, determined smile. "Now more than ever!"

"I see," Gankoomon replied. "You want to be on the same level as your sensei one day, huh?"

BaoHuckmon laughed, though it came out more like a wheeze as he was still trying to catch his breath from all the running. "That'll be a nice bonus. You won't be able to boss me around as much."

Gankoomon gave him a toothy smirk. "Who says?" he teased. "So, I guess your perception of the Royal Knights hasn't been shattered by living with them and seeing them in person? Sometimes one can get a pre-conceived idea of who their heroes really are, and when they meet them in person they become disappointed. Not the case with you?"

"Not at all," BaoHuckmon responded with an honest smile. "Actually, now that I've really met them, they're even cooler than I imagined! Before, they were these awesome, gallant heroes who stood up for weaker Digimon. Now, they're still that, but it's like they're still regular Digimon too. They're so cool!"

Gankoomon couldn't help but laugh and ruffle his apprentice's horned head, causing the dinosaur to blush and try to pull away in agitation. "I gotta hand it to you, BaoHuckmon; you're an optimist."

"That a bad thing?" BaoHuckmon asked, glancing up at the Royal Knight.

"Nah," Gankoomon replied. "You keep trying to become a Royal Knight and I'll keep helping you train, kid."

BaoHuckmon smiled. "Awesome. So when can I go on a patrol?"

"Don't push your luck."

"Peri goes on patrols," BaoHuckmon stated, referencing his friend.

"Imperialdramon's had eight months of recon training," Gankoomon responded just as quickly. "And he's a Mega level while you're a Champion."

"He's the same age as me!" Gankoomon's squire protested.

"Enough with the backchat, BaoHuckmon," Gankoomon told him. "Unless you want to do a few more laps."

"I don't mind," BaoHuckmon insisted, pretending like his leg muscles weren't sore and trembling from exhaustion.

"Oh, really?" Gankoomon asked, looking at him with an expression that told him that he wasn't making idle threats.

BaoHuckmon ducked his head and glanced away. "Y-Yeah… But maybe later…" he mumbled.

Gankoomon smirked. "Uh huh. Let's get some food inside you. Or will you puke it up?"

"I'll be fine," BaoHuckmon assured him. "Even if I do, the taste of Sir RhodoKnightmon's food makes it worth it."

"Yeah… He's kinda weird but he's a hell of a cook. I'll give 'im that," Gankoomon admitted.

"His food's way better than anything you ever made, Sensei," BaoHuckmon teased.

Gankoomon lightly swatted his head. "You've turned into a smartass since coming here," he told him with a grin.

BaoHuckmon grunted but smiled at him. "You always said I should be more assertive."

"Uh huh. Just don't forget that I'm one of the Royal Knights now too," Gankoomon reminded him. "You're not a Royal Knight yet, kid."

"And I'm not a kid anymore, either, Sensei," BaoHuckmon countered.

Gankoomon smiled and shrugged as they walked across the road towards the castle. "Point taken. Just don't get ahead of yourself."

BaoHuckmon sighed but managed a small grin. "Yeah, yeah. Message received…" he answered. The dinosaur Digimon walked towards the entrance and smiled inwardly. "_One day… I'll be able to save Digimon just like the Royal Knights do… I just need to keep training."_

* * *

><p>An hour passed since noon.<p>

OuRyuumon and Dorbickmon's friendly spar had taken place out in the training grounds not long after BaoHuckmon and Gankoomon left the area. It had been an intense, hard fought, cathartic match for the two Digimon.

"Hell…" Dorbickmon grunted as he slogged across the grass.

His arm was over Examon's back, just above his large wings. The dragon knight had his arm around Dorbickmon's waist, helping the exhausted mercenary walk. Dorbickmon's body was dripping with sweat and he panted with husky breaths as he walked.

Craniamon and Dynasmon strode beside them at a leisurely pace.

"Pretty close match," Dynasmon said with a satisfied expression as he counted the money in his claws.

Craniamon cast an annoyed look at Dorbickmon. "Too bad he beat you. I was betting on you, you know."

Dorbickmon shrugged. "I let him win. I felt bad about the whole 'using him as a hostage' thing," he asserted.

"Suuure. Whatever you say," Dynasmon replied, nudging him with his elbow.

"Knights don't throw matches," Craniamon tersely spoke. "Especially not ones that other people are betting on."

"Hey, I'm no knight," Dorbickmon replied, giving Craniamon a tired, toothy grin. "But damn. Those electric shocks pack a hell of a punch."

"They beat real attacks, don't they?" Examon asked, looking at his friend.

"Yeah, guess so. And that nerdy bug came up with that system?" the mercenary inquired.

"MetallifeKuwagamon?" Examon replied. "Yeah, but I don't know about 'nerdy'…"

"Yeah, well, you're a big nerd yourself so you're probably biased." Dorbickmon looked at him with a grin.

Examon raised an eyebrow and glanced at Dynasmon. "Define 'nerd'."

"Duftmon," Dynasmon clarified.

"Heh," Craniamon chuckled briefly.

"I am not like Duftmon," Examon indignantly insisted.

"You're both smart," Dynasmon pointed out.

"Neither of you are very good socially," Craniamon added.

"You're both kinda snobby and uptight," Dorbickmon chimed in.

Examon grumbled. "Come on, I'm not _that_ bad."

Dynasmon laughed. "Okay, you're a nicer version of Duftmon."

Examon rolled his eyes. "That isn't a whole lot better…" he responded. He looked at the Digimon who he was helping to walk. "What are your plans for when you leave, Dorbickmon?"

"Fishing for those bugs," Dorbickmon replied.

"Where are you going to start?" Examon inquired.

Dorbickmon and the others stepped onto the courtyard road in front of the castle. It contained several buildings like the blacksmith's, a barracks, an armoury, and various merchant shops that had permission to sell inside the castle grounds.

The mercenary shrugged. "I'll probably start with Shroud. Since they're on the run from the Metal Empire, that'd probably be the first place they'd go, if we're talking geography. If they're not there, they might have gone down to Dark Point on the west coast of the continent. I think I remember seeing them in a bar there called 'The Hook and Eel Pub'."

"Another shady place," Craniamon remarked.

"If you're on the wrong side of the law, you don't exactly want to go out in the daylight," Dorbickmon replied with a light, toothy grin.

"S'pose not," the violet armoured Royal Knight responded tersely.

"Anyway…" Dorbickmon said, looking around the courtyard and noticing a bunch of male soldiers around. "It sure is a sausage fest around here."

"It is?" Examon asked, raising an eyebrow and looking around. "I don't see or smell any sausages…"

Dorbickmon turned and stared at Examon blandly. After a few moments, he turned to the other Royal Knights. "Is he serious or does he just have a really dry sense of humour that I'm not getting?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.

"He's serious," Craniamon replied.

Examon blinked curiously. Dynasmon leaned over and whispered into Examon's ear, causing the dragon Royal Knight to blush. "Oh, a sex joke…" he spoke sheepishly, sweat dripping down his head.

Dorbickmon shook his head. "The things I need to teach you…" he said with a sigh.

"Anyway, nah," Dynasmon said to Dorbickmon. "There are a good number of female Digimon in the Order. Shutumon's in charge of administration, for example. I can see why you say that though. There's definitely more men and not enough women."

"We know why you want more women, Dynasmon," Craniamon said, eyeing him.

"Nothing wrong with being sociable," Dynasmon replied. He responded to Craniamon with a playful glance. "It sure beats bringing a spear and shield to bed."

Craniamon stared at him flatly. "I do not bring Claiohm Solais and Avalon to bed. I put them on their racks."

"I bet those aren't the racks that Dynasmon's interested in," Dorbickmon said with a chuckle.

Examon sighed. "You should speak with better manners, Dorbickmon," he recommended.

"Hey, I'm not part of the Order. I can speak how I want," Dorbickmon insisted. "This is why people think you're a prude."

Examon shook his head with exasperation. "So, when are you heading out?"

"After supper," Dorbickmon responded. "Might as well stay for another meal if it's half as good as lunch was."

"So you liked RhodoKnightmon's cooking, huh?" Dynasmon asked with a grin.

"Who doesn't?" Craniamon replied matter of factly.

Examon gave Dorbickmon a light smile. "He was shovelling it down."

"I know good food when I see it," Dorbickmon asserted.

Dynasmon chuckled. "Well, Rhodo's got to have some good qualities to balance out all of the annoying ones."

"He's a good fighter when he can be bothered to get off his ass," Craniamon added.

Another laugh escaped Dynasmon's mouth. "That's true. I remember he wiped the floor with you during your proving duel. Hahah! The look on your face was priceless, Craniamon! I thought you were going to burst into tears!"

Craniamon growled and reached over to punch Dynasmon's arm painfully. "I've gotten much better since then," his deep voice echoed behind his helmet.

Dynasmon winced but maintained his smirk. He rubbed his sore arm with his large hand. "Sorry. Still a touchy subject over six years on, I guess…"

"Have you gotten any better since founding the Order, Dynasmon?" Craniamon asked, eyeing him coolly. "And I'm not talking about getting attractive women into bed."

"Hey, you're acting like I'm a complete lecher," Dynasmon protested. "I treat women well and I'm a hell of a knight on top of that."

Craniamon rolled his eyes. "Well, it doesn't really help our pious image."

"Image schimage," Dynasmon protested. "We're a military order first, and a religious order second. Don't tell me you're super religious, Craniamon, because I know you aren't. Besides, sex has nothing to do with our religion. And also, Ulforce and Examon are both believers of the Fanglongmon faith, not the Yggdrasil one. Most Digimon don't care about that."

Craniamon folded his arms and grunted.

"He's just really proud of being a Royal Knight, aren't you, Craniamon?" Examon said, looking over at the violet Royal Knight with a smile.

Craniamon averted his gaze and didn't respond, embarrassed by the personal question.

Dynasmon chuckled. "He's probably blushing behind that scary helmet of his now."

"Get stuffed, Dynasmon," Craniamon responded with a sideways glare.

"Yup, I knew it. He's a big softy on the inside," Dynasmon snickered.

As the group of four approached the front entrance of the main building, Dorbickmon pulled his arm away from Examon. "Okay, I'm fine now, " he said quickly, stepping up to the doors and pushing them open before the guards could get to them first.

"You took some serious shocks, Dorbickmon. I know they aren't life threatening, but you still shouldn't overdo it," Examon insisted, going after him.

"My muscles are just a bit tingly. I'm fine," Dorbickmon insisted with a dismissive shrug, walking down the entrance hall obstinately.

"Stop trying to look cool," Examon said with a sigh.

Dynasmon smirked. "Who're you trying to impress, Dorbickmon?" he asked him, following along behind Examon.

"Nobody, tin cans!" Dorbickmon exclaimed, looking over his shoulder. "But I _don't_ need help walking!"

As if on cue, the next step Dorbickmon took caused his leg muscles to quiver. A numbing jolt shot up Dorbickmon's leg and caused it to buckle. The mercenary collapsed in front of the several stone steps and landed flat on his face.

As Examon jogged over to the collapsed dragon, Craniamon stifled a chuckle and Dynasmon burst out laughing.

With his face a deeper crimson than usual, Dorbickmon nudged Examon's claws away and tried to stand up on his own. "Let's forget that happened…"

* * *

><p>Omegamon walked through the castle gardens which was located between the right side of the main building and the southern wall. He stepped down a path that was flanked on both sides by a myriad of beautiful colours. When he looked up, he could see the cloudy sky glowing with a warm, pink and orange hue as the sun set behind him. He could hear the sound of rushing water coming from the other side of the stone wall. It was a small river that curved and headed east towards the ocean.<p>

As Omegamon walked down the path, enjoying the peace and atmosphere, the path led him towards a large, finely sculpted fountain. In the middle of the fountain's marble, water-filled basin was a sculpture of a long, fearsome, majestic sea serpent. Its body was coiled up and a blocky, draconic head rose from the apex, aimed at the sky. From the serpent's mouth gushed a jet of water that shot into the air, rolled down his marble body, and gathered in the basin. The Digimon was GigaSeadramon, the leader of the Deep Savers. The Deep Savers was a group of marine Digimon who controlled the Net Ocean to the east of the continent. GigaSeadramon was an ally of the Royal Knights and he had commissioned this fountain for himself before giving it to the Royal Knights as a gift.

The Royal Knight stopped in front of the fountain and watched the water splash down in front of him, causing countless ripples in the basin. The glowing sky was distorted in the fountain's reflection. Omegamon began to turn, heading to sit down at one of the nearby stone benches so that he could enjoy the peaceful gardens. However, a arm reached out behind him and rested on Omegamon's back and shoulders.

Omegamon tensed up for a moment. He turned towards the presence beside him. He saw Dukemon standing there with a grin.

"Oh, Dukemon," he said, relaxing a bit.

"Hey, Omegamon," Dukemon said cheerfully.

"What are you doing here?" Omegamon questioned, still mindful of the arm on his back. "Were you looking for me?"

"No, I just came out here to stretch my legs," Dukemon replied. "Beautiful evening out, huh?"

"Yes, it is," the white Royal Knight agreed. He paused for a moment. "I thought you preferred sunrises to sunsets."

Dukemon chuckled. "Yeah, true, but I can't be picky." He walked over and sat on the stone bench with his back to the fountain. He raised his arms and rested his elbows on the rim of the fountain, closing his eyes and relaxing.

Omegamon sat down next to him and leaned forwards, resting his forearms on his legs. He glanced over at the crimson Royal Knight pensively.

Dukemon opened his right eye and looked back at Omegamon. "So, how are you doing?" he asked him.

"I'm fine, thanks. Yourself?" Omegamon answered.

"I'm good. No complaints," Dukemon casually replied.

Omegamon smiled. "Did you come out here to check up on me?"

Dukemon turned his head towards him. "Check up on you?" he asked quizzically. By the change in his expression, it was clear that he realized what he meant. "No… I'm the last person who would do that."

"Why is that?" the white Royal Knight inquired.

A grin flashed on Dukemon's face. "Never mind…" he responded, dodging the question. "So… How long have we known each other, Omegamon?"

Omegamon frowned and sat up straight. "A couple years before the Order was established… It was back in our adventuring days. I was travelling with Imperialdramon and you were travelling with Grani."

Dukemon leaned back against the fountain and looked up at the warm, colourful sky. "That sounds about right…" he spoke nostalgically. "You and Imperialdramon saved my butt a few times - the reckless guy that I was."

"You returned the favour a few times," Omegamon answered with a small smile. "Like when we were swarmed by Death-X Digimon."

Dukemon chuckled softly. "I made a hell of an entrance, didn't I?"

"You got a kick out of that, didn't you?" Omegamon queried with a reserved but playful tone. He slouched forwards again and placed his arms back on his knees. "Why ask about when we met, Dukemon?"

"No reason… I was just thinking about how different our lives were back then," Dukemon responded, watching as the orange and pink hue contended with the dusky blue above him. "We didn't have the responsibilities that we have now."

Omegamon nodded understandingly. "Do you miss it? Being off on your own – or with Grani – that is…"

"Not at all," Dukemon answered without a second thought. He turned towards Omegamon and smiled. "Being a Royal Knight… Being friends with you… with _all_ of you… I wouldn't give it up for a single thing." Dukemon played his words off casually and he leaned his head back, gazing back up at the vestiges of sunset in the sky. He didn't want to seem like he was getting too sappy or intense. However, there was a look of contentment on his face. "And you?"

Omegamon smiled at the warmth and honesty in Dukemon's words and then gazed down at his lap. "I couldn't agree with you more…"

Dukemon was about to reply, but something caught his attention. As he stared at the sky, something passed overhead that prompted him to stand to his feet.

"What the…"

* * *

><p>The sounds of grunting and heavy, exerted breaths filled the air. Sweat rolled down the skin of Alphamon's toned chest as Sleipmon's hand grappled with his shoulder. Alphamon faced Sleipmon, who was also shirtless and sweaty. They grabbed for each other's arms and chests, trying to get the better of the other.<p>

Alphamon huffed and broke Sleipmon's hold with his arm. He dashed forwards and wrapped his arms around Sleipmon's waist, just above where his body went from humanoid to beast-like. "You sure aren't going easy on me, are you, Sleipmon?" he said with a slight grin between breaths.

Sleipmon grunted and spread his six legs to keep balance. He placed his hand under Alphamon's arm, trying to pull it off from around his waist. As he did this, his other hand went down to grab hold of Alphamon's leg to try to throw him off balance. "I can't afford to," Sleipmon replied with a smile.

The two Royal Knights stood in the middle of a spacious room. Over half of the room was empty except for flat, smooth, bamboo hardwood flooring. The floor glistened pristinely as if it had been freshly swept and mopped. This section of the room was used for indoor practicing and hand-to-hand sparring. There was plenty of room to move around, making the area well-suited for those kinds of activities. For the purpose of Alphamon and Sleipmon's sparring, rubber mats had been moved over the floor to cushion any painful take downs as well as damage to the floor. Near the entrance of the room was a mat where Digimon had to place their footwear before entering, so as not to scuff the floor.

Further down the expansive room, making up the other half, was a gym. It was full of exercise equipment such as bench presses, pneumatic and weight-based exercise machines, free weights of various types and sizes, resistance bands, weighted items, and punching bags, to name a few. The one most often seen in this room was Craniamon. It was almost like a second bedroom to him, so he usually took it upon himself to clean it instead of the maintenance staff.

Off to the side, sitting against the wall, were RhodoKnightmon and Duftmon. RhodoKnightmon languidly watched Alphamon and Sleipmon wrestle, appreciating the eye candy while trying to strike up a conversation with Duftmon. At that moment, he was too lazy to do anything productive.

Meanwhile, Duftmon sat cross-legged against the wall and read a book. In one hand, he held the book, and in the other, he used a charcoal pencil to write down notes on a notepad resting on his leg. He largely ignored Alphamon and Sleipmon's physical grappling match.

"-that's what UlforceVeedramon told me, at any rate," RhodoKnightmon finished, glancing over at Duftmon. The strategist was silent, seemingly fixated on what he was doing. RhodoKnightmon sighed and realized that trying to get Duftmon to engage in the topic was a waste of time. "What are you reading?"

"A treatise on aerial envelopment tactics," Duftmon responded. "It was written by Gaiomon. The one who is currently the sitting advisor to the Council of Seven. I am writing a counterargument in response."

"Very clever, Duftmon. Cute as well," RhodoKnightmon mused. "Why has nobody made you theirs yet?"

"Please do not bother me with such nonsensical questions, RhodoKnightmon. I am trying to concentrate," Duftmon replied dismissively.

RhodoKnightmon smiled behind his helmet and place his hands behind his head, expecting an answer like that. "Oh, yes. That's why, isn't it?" he spoke. He looked back at Alphamon and Sleipmon. Alphamon was grappling with Sleipmon, trying to throw him off his six hooves, but his heavy lower half made it difficult. RhodoKnightmon looked back at Duftmon. "What about this, then? What do you think the Metal Empire will do next?"

Duftmon looked up from his book and paper. "They will probably send out an elite task force to hunt down the insects. If they catch them, they will probably interrogate them to get them to reveal their client" he replied matter of factly.

"And whom do you think their client might be?" RhodoKnightmon inquired.

"I won't speculate," Duftmon responded. "However, if it turns out to be a state wishing to acquire the technology for itself, then I wouldn't put it past Chaosdramon to wage war to get it back, unless it was very strategically unviable."

"That could be trouble," the pink Royal Knight said.

Duftmon nodded. "Depending on what happens in the coming weeks, we may have to intervene in a peacekeeper role… unless we use the hypothetical opportunity to take down Chaosdramon. We _have_ been looking for an excuse to get rid of him. He is diametrically opposed to our ideals, after all."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Alphamon spoke up from the sparring room floor before grabbing Sleipmon by the waist and hurling him off balance and onto the mats with a crash. Alphamon then jumped on top of him to try to pin him down, but Sleipmon resisted. "We… still don't know anything…f-for sure," he said between breaths and grunts as Sleipmon's arm pressed against his neck. "Wait for Karatenmon and Dorbickmon before… coming up with controversial scenarios like that."

"I was merely supposing," Duftmon responded, closing his eyes with a minor huff.

Alphamon grabbed hold of Sleipmon's arm. "Still-"

"I can find my own way, thank you," a familiar male voice said from the hallway. "I used to live here, you know."

Alphamon and Sleipmon both stopped in the middle of their wrestling and looked towards the door. Duftmon and RhodoKnightmon went quiet and looked over, recognizing the voice as well.

A white and blue draconic silhouette appeared at the door of the sparring room. He was clad in white and golden plate armour and had immaculate blue scales. There was something about the way that he carried himself that seemed innately heroic.

Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode observed Alphamon and Sleipmon on the ground with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. "Am I interrupting?" he asked.

Alphamon let go of Sleipmon and stood to his feet. "Imperialdramon," he greeted his friend with bewilderment. After a moment, he turned and helped Sleipmon to his feet as well. Once the equine Royal Knight was up, Alphamon walked over to Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode, the founder of the Order. "What are you doing here? We weren't expecting you back for another few weeks."

Imperialdramon's usually light expression suddenly grew serious. "That's right… There's something important that we need to talk about," he explained. "Gather all of the Royal Knights."

"What is it?" Sleipmon asked as RhodoKnightmon and Duftmon made to stand.

"I'll go into details later," Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode responded with a frown. "I'll just say this… The Dark Area isn't stable."


End file.
